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BY 

ISABELLA  BIRD-BISHOP 

Unbeaten  Tracks  in  Japan. 

Illustrated.  8°  . 

$2.50 

The  Golden  Chersonese. 

Illustrated.  8°  . 

$2,00 

A Lady’s  Life  in  the  Rocky  Mountains. 

Illustrated.  8°  . 

>S^-75 

Six  Months  in  the  Sandwich  Islands. 

Illustrated.  8°  . 

$2.25 

The  Yangtze  Valley  and  Beyond. 

With  tiy  illustrations.  2 vols.  8°. 

$6.00 

G.  P.  PUTNAM’S  SONS 

New  York  .\xd  London 

£ 


FRuNTIM’ltCf-.  I 


UNBEATEN  TRACKS  IN  JAPAN 


AN  ACCOUNT  OF 


TRAVELS  ON  HORSEBACK  IN  THE  INTERIOR 


INCLUDING 


VISITS  TO  THE  ABORIGINES  OF  YEZO  AND  THE  SHRINES 
OF  NIKKO  AND  ISE 


By  ISABELLA  L.  BIRD 


ADTHOE  OF  ‘A  LADY’S  LIFE  IN  THE  ROCKY  MOUNTAINS’  ‘SIX 
MONTHS  IN  THE  SANDWICH  ISLANDS  ’ 

ETC.  ETC. 


IN  TWO  VOLUMES.  — VOL.  1. 


WITH  MAP  AND  ILLUSTRATIONS 


NEW  YORK 

G.  P.  PUTNAM’S  SONS 

27  AND  29  West  23d  Street 


STo  t^£  fHnnorg 

or 

LADY  PARKES, 


WHOSE  KINDNESS  AND  FEIENDSHIP  AEE  AMONG 
MOST  TEEASUKED  EEMEMBEANCES 
OF  JAPAN, 

2r{)csc  PoIumES 

AEE  GEATEFULLY  AND  EEVEEENTLI 


DEDICATED. 


PEEFAOE. 


Having  been  recommended  to  leave  home,  in  April 
1878,  in  order  to  recruit  my  health  by  means  which 
had  ]3roved  serviceable  before,  I decided  to  visit  Japan, 
attracted  less  by  the  reputed  excellence  of  its  climate, 
than  by  the  certainty  that  it  possessed  in  an  especial 
degree  those  sources  of  novel  and  sustained  interest, 
which  conduce  so  essentially  to  the  enjoyment  and 
restoration  of  a solitary  health-seeker.  The  climate 
disappointed  me,  but  though  I found  the  country  a 
study  rather  than  a rapture,  its  interest  exceeded  my 
largest  expectations. 

Tliis  is  not  a “ Book  on  Japan,”  but  a narrative  of 
travels  in  Japan,  and  an  attempt  to  contribute  some- 
thing to  the  sum  of  knowledge  of  the  present  condition 
of  the  country,  and  it  was  not  till  I had  travelled  for 
some  months  in  the  interior  of  the  main  island  and  in 
Yezo,  that  1 decided  that  my  materials  were  novel 
enough  to  render  the  contribution  worth  making. 
From  Nikkd  northwards  my  route  was  altogether  off 
the  beaten  trick,  and  had  never  been  traversed  in  its 
entirety  by  any  European.  I lived  among  the  Japan- 
ese, and  saw  their  mode  of  living,  in  regions  unaffected 
by  European  contact.  As  a lady  travelling  alone,  and 


PREFACE. 


viii 

the  first  European  lady  who  had  been  seen  in  several 
districts  through  which  my  route  lay,  my  experiences 
differed  more  or  less  widely  from  those  of  preceding 
travellers ; and  I am  able  to  offer  a fuller  account  of 
the  aborigines  of  Yezo,  obtained  by  actual  acquaints 
ance  with  them,  than  has  hitherto  been  given.  These 
are  my  chief  reasons  for  offering  these  volumes  to  the 
public. 

It  was  with  some  reluctance  that  I decided  that  they 
should  consist  mainly  of  letters  written  on  the  spot  for 
my  sister  and  a circle  of  personal  friends ; for  this  form 
of  publication  involves  the  sacrifice  of  artistic  arrange- 
ment and  literary  treatment,  and  necessitates  a certain 
amount  of  egotism ; but,  on  the  other  hand,  it  places 
the  reader  in  the  position  of  the  traveller,  and  makes 
him  share  the  vicissitudes  of  travel,  discomfort,  diffi- 
culty, and  tedium,  as  well  as  novelty  and  enjoyment. 
The  “ beaten  tracks,”  with  the  exception  of  XikkS, 
have  been  dismissed  in  a few  sentences,  but  where 
their  features  have  undergone  marked  changes  within  a 
few  years,  as  in  the  case  of  TokiyS  (Yedo),  they  have 
been  sketched  more  or  less  slightly.  ]\Iany  important 
subjects  are  necessarily  passed  over,  and  others  are 
briefly  summarised  in  the  “Chapter  on  Japanese  Pub- 
lic Affairs.” 

In  Northern  Japan,  in  the  absence  of  all  other 
sources  of  infoi’mation,  I bad  to  learn  everything  from 
the  people  themselves,  through  an  interpreter,  and 
every  fact  had  to  be  disinterred  by  careful  labour  from 
amidst  a mass  of  rubbish.  The  Ainos  supplied  the  in 
formation  which  is  given  concerning  their  customs, 
habits,  and  religion ; but  I had  an  opportunity  of  com- 


PREFACE. 


ix 

paring  my  notes  with  some  taken  about  the  same  time 
by  Mr.  Heinrich  Von  Siebold  of  the  Austrian  Legation, 
and  of  finding  a most  satisfactory  agreement  on  all 
points. 

Some  of  the  Letters  give  a less  pleasing  picture  of 
the  condition  of  the  peasantry  than  the  one  popularly 
presented,  and  it  is  possible  that  some  readers  may  wish 
that  it  had  been  less  realistically  painted ; but  as  the 
scenes  are  strictly  representative,  and  I neither  made 
them  nor  went  in  search  of  them,  I offer  them  in  the 
interests  of  truth,  for  they  illustrate  the  nature  of  a 
large  portion  of  the  material  with  which  the  Japanese 
Government  has  to  work  in  building  up  the  New  Civil 
isation. 

Accuracy  has  been  my  first  aim,  but  the  sources  of 
error  are  many,  and  it  is  from  those  who  have  studied 
Japan  the  most  carefully,  and  are  the  best  acquamted 
with  its  difficulties,  that  I shall  receive  the  most  kindly 
allowance,  if,  in  spite  of  carefulness,  I have  fallen  into 
mistakes. 

The  Transactions  of  the  English  and  German  Asiatic 
Societies  of  Japan,  and  papers  on  special  Japanese 
subjects,  including  “ A Budget  of  Japanese  Notes,”  in 
the  Japan  Mail  and  Tokiyo  Times.,  gave  me  valuable 
help,  and  I gratefully  acknowledge  the  assistancp 
afforded  me  in  many  ways  by  Sir  Harry  S.  Parkes, 
K.C.B.,  and  Mr.  Satow  of  H.B.M.’s  Legation,  Principal 
Dyer,  Mr.  Chamberlain  of  the  Imperial  Naval  College, 
Mr.  F.  V.  Dickins,  and  others,  whose  kindly  interest  in 
my  work  often  encouraged  me  when  I was  disJieartened 
by  my  lack  of  skill ; but,  in  justice  to  these  and  other 
kind  friends,  I am  anxious  to  claim  and  accept  the  full- 


X 


PREFACE. 


est  measure  of  personal  responsibility  for  the  opinions 
expressed,  which,  whether  right  or  wrong,  are  wholly 
my  own. 

The  concluding  chapter,  which  treats  briefly  of  Pub- 
lic Affairs,  is  based  upon  facts  courteously  supplied  by 
the  Japanese  Government,  and  on  official  documents, 
and  may  be  useful  in  directing  attention  to  the  sources 
from  which  it  is  taken.  The  illustrations,  with  the  ex- 
ception of  three,  which  are  by  a Japanese  artist,  have 
been  engraved  from  sketches  of  my  own,  or  Japanese 
photographs. 

I am  painfully  conscious  of  the  defects  of  these  vol- 
umes, but  I venture  to  present  them  to  the  public  in 
the  hope  that,  in  spite  of  their  demerits,  they  may  be 
accepted  as  an  honest  attempt  to  describe  things  as  I 
saw  them  in  Japan,  on  land  journeys  of  more  than  1,400 
miles. 

Since  the  letters  passed  through  the  press,  the  be- 
loved and  only  sister  to  whom,  in  the  first  instance, 
they  were  written,  to  whose  able  and  careful  criticism 
they  owe  much,  and  whose  loffing  interest  was  the  in- 
spiration alike  of  my  travels  and  of  my  narratives  of 
them,  has  passed  away,  and  the  concluding  chapter  has 
been  revised  and  completed  under  the  shadow  of  this 
great  grief.  I have,  therefore,  to  request  my  reader’s  to 
pai'don  its  faults  of  style  and  somewhat  abrupt  termi- 
nation. 

ISABELLA  L.  BIRD. 

Sepierriber  1880. 


CONTENTS  OF  VOL.  1. 


Ihtbouuctory  Chapter 

FIRST  IMPRESSIONS. 

First  View  of  Japau  — A Vision  of  Fujisan  — A Hybrid 
City — Japanese  Sampans  — “ Pullman  Cars  ” — Undigni- 
fied Locomotion  — Paper  Money  — The  Drawbacks  of 
Japanese  Travelling 

THE  OLD  AND  THE  NEW. 

Sir  Harry  Parkes  — An  “Ambassador’s  Carriage” — Blurs 
and  Hieroglyphs  — Cart  Coolies  — A supposed  Concession 
to  Foreign  Opinion  — Regulations 

YEDO. 

Yedo  and  Tokiyo — The  Yokohama  Railroad  — The  Effect 
of  Misfits  — The  Plain  of  Yedo  — Personal  Peculiarities  — 
First  Impressions  of  Tokiyo  — H.B.M.’s  Legation  — An 
English  Home 


CUSTOMS  AND  DRESS. 

Lifeless  Heat  — Street  Sights  in  Tokiyo  — The  Foreign 
Concession  — The  Missionary  Quarter  — Architectural 
Vulgarities — The  Imperial  Gardens  — Costume  and  Be-- 
1)  aviour  — Female  1 uelegance 


TEMPLES. 

Narrow  Grooves  — Topics  of  Talk  — A Pair  of  Ponies  — The 
Shrines  of  Shiba  — “Afternoon  Tea” — The  English 
Church 

xl 


Page  1 


12-21 


22-26 


26-32 


33-41 


42-^B 


CONTENTS. 


xli 


CHINESE  AND  SERVANTS. 

Dr.  Hepburn  — The  Yokohama  Bluff  — “ John  Chinaman 
— Chinese  Compradores  — Engaging  a Servant  — First 
Impressions  of  Ito  — A Solemn  Contract — The  Food 
Question 


THEATRICAL. 

Theatrical  Reform  — The  Ancient  Drama  — The  Modem 
Theatre  — The  Stage  — The  Opening  of  a Reformed 
Theatre  — The  Players  — The  Opening  Address  — Moral 
Reforms  — Exasperating  Noises  — A Comic  Pastoral 


WORSHIP. 

Kwan-non  Temple  — Uniformity  of  Temple  Architecture  — 
A Kurama  Expedition  — A Perpetual  Festival  — The  Ni-6 

— The  Limbo  of  Y anity  — Heathen  Prayers  — Binzum  — 
The  Fox-God  — A Group  of  Devils  — Floral  Monstrosities 

— Japanese  Womankind  — New  Japan  — An  £l^yante  . 


THE  JOURNEY  BEGUN. 

Fears  — Travelling  Equipments  — Passports  — Coolie  Cos- 
tume— A Yedo  Diorama  — Rice  Culture  — Tea  Houses 

— A Traveller’s  Reception  — The  Inn  at  Kasukabe  — Lack 
of  Privacy  — A Concourse  of  Noises — A Nocturnal  Alarm 

— A Vision  of  Policemen  — A Budget  from  Tedo 


FROM  kasukabe  TO  NHIKO. 

A Coolie  falls  ill  — Peasant  Costume  — Varieties  in  Thresh- 
ing— The  Toclugi  i/adoya — Fanning  Villages  — A Beau- 
tiful Region  — An  In  Mcmoriain  Avtiiine  — A Doll's  Street 
— Nlkko  — The  Journey’s  End  — Coolie  Kindliness  . 


KANAYA’S  HOUSE. 

A Japanese  Idyll  — Musical  Stillness  — My  Rooms  — Floral 
Decorations  — Kanaya  and  his  Household  — Table  Equip- 
ments   


46-54 


65-63 


64-81 


Sa-96 


97-106 


107-110 


CONTENTS. 


ym 


nikk6. 

The  Beauties  of  Nikk6  — The  Burial  of  ly^yasu  — The  Ap- 
proach to  the  great  Shrines  — The  Tomei  Gate  — Gorgeous 
Decorations  — Simplicity  of  the  Mausoleum  — The  Shrine 
of  lyemitsu — Eeligious  Art  of  Japan  and  India  — An 
Earthquake  — Beauties  of  Wood-carving  . . . . 

A WATERING-PLACE. 

A Japanese  Pack-horse  and  Pack-saddle  — The  Mountain- 
road  to  Chiuzenjii  — A Deserted  Yillage  — The  Pilgrim 
Season — Rose  Azaleas — Yadoya  and  Attendant — A 
native  Watering-place  — The  Sulphur  Baths  — A 
“ Squeeze  ” — A welcome  Arrival 


DOMESTIC  LIFE. 

Peaceful  Monotony  — A Japanese  School — A dismal  Ditty 
— Punishment — A Children’s  Party  — A juvenile  Belle 
— Female  Names — A juvenile  Drama  — Needlework  — 
Calligraphy  — Kanaya  — Daily  Routine  — An  Evening’s 
Entertainment  — Planning  Routes  — The  God-shelf . 

EVENING  EMPLOYMENTS. 

Darkness  visible  — Nikk6  Shops  — Girls  and  Matrons  — Night 
and  Sleep  — Parental  Love  — Childish  Docility  — Hair- 
dressing — Skin  Diseases  — The  Moxa  — Acupuncture 

SHOPPING. 

Shops  and  Shopping  — Calculations  — The  Barber’s  Shop  — 
A Paper  Waterproof  — Ito’s  Vanity  — The  Worship  of 
Daikoku  — Preparations  for  the  Journey  — Transport  and 
Prices  — Money  and  Measurements 

SCANT  COSTUMES. 

Comfort  disappears  — Fine  Scenery  — An  Alarm  — A Farm- 
house— An  unusual  Costume  — Bridling  a Horse  — Fe- 
male Dress  and  Ugliness  — Babies  — My  Mago  — Beauties 
of  the  Kinugawa  — A Buddhist  Cemetery  — Fujihara  — 
My  Servant  — Horse-shoes  — An  absurd  Mistake 


111-121 


122-130 


131-140 


141-146 


146-160 


151-166 


XIV 


CONTENTS. 


DIRT  AND  DISEASE. 

A.  Fantastic  Jumble  — The  “Quiver”  of  Poverty — The 
Watershed  — From  Bad  to  Worse  — The  Rice  Planter’s 
Holiday  — A Diseased  Crowd  — Amateur  Doctoring  — 
The  Hot  Bath  — Want  of  Cleanliness  — Insanitary  Houses 
— Rapid  Eating — Premature  Old  Age  . . . . 

HIGH  FARMING. 

A Japanese  Ferry  — The  Wistaria  Chinensis  — The  Crops  — 
A Chinese  Drug  — Etiquette  in  Cultivation  — A Corru- 
gated Road  — The  Pass  of  Samio  — Various  Vegetation  — 
An  Ungainly  Undergrowth — Preponderance  of  Men  — 
The  Shrines  of  Nature-worship  — Apparent  Decay  of 
Religion 


A MALARIOUS  DISTRICT. 

The  Plain  of  Wakamatsu  — A Noble  Tree  — Light  Costume 
— The  Takata  Crowd  — Japanese  Paper  — A Congress  of 
. Schoolmasters  — Timidity  of  a Crowd  — Bad  Roads  — 
Vicious  Horses  — Mountain  Scenery  — A Picturesque  Inn 
— Swallowing  a Fish-bone  — Poverty  and  Suicide  — An 
Inn-kitchen  — England  Unknown!  — My  Breakfast  Dis- 
appears   


EXTREME  FILTHINESS. 

An  Infamous  Road  — Monotonous  Greenery — Abysmal  Dirt 

— Low  Lives  — The  Lacquer  Tree  — Lacquer  Poisoning 

— The  Wax  Tree  and  Wax  Candles  — The  Tsugawa 

Yadoya  — Politeness  — A Shipping  Port — A “Foreign 
Devil  ” 


A RIVER  JOURNEY. 

A Hurry  — The  Tsugawa  Packet-boat  — Running  the  Rapids 

— Fantastic  Scenery  — The  River-life  — Vineyards  — Dry- 
ing Bailey  — Summer  Silence  — The  Outskirts  of  Niigata 

— The  Church  Mission  House 

MISSIONS. 

Christian  Missions  — Niigata  as  a Mission  Station  — The 
Two  Missionaries  — The  Result  of  three  Tears  of  Work  — 
Daily  Preacliing — The  Medical  Mission  — The  Hospital 
— Difficulties  of  Missionaries  in  Japan  .... 


107-113 


174-179 


180-190 


191-195 


19&-200 


201-211 


CONTENTS. 


X\ 


BUDDHISM. 

Temple  Street  — Interior  of  a Temple  — Kesemblances  be- 
tween Buddhist  and  Romaji  Ritual  — A Popular  Preacher 
— Nirvana  — Gentleness  of  Buddhism  — Japanese  distaste 
.,0  “Eternal  IJfe”  — A new  Obstacle  in  the  way  of 
Christianity 212-211 


NIIGATA. 

Abominable  Weather  — Insect  Pests  — Absence  of  Foreign 
Trade  — A refractory  River  — Progress — The  Japanese 
City  — Water  Highwaj's  — Niigata  Gardens  — Ruth  Fyson 

— The  Winter  Climate  — A Population  in  Wadding  . . 21S-224 

THE  SHOPS. 

Mean  Streets  — Curio  Shops  — Idealised  Tubs  — Hair-Pins 

— Coarse  Lacquer  — Gi-aven  Images  — Ecclesiastical  Par- 
aphernalia — Shoddy  — Booksellers’  Shops  — Literature 
for  Women  — Careful  Domestic  Training  — Literary  Copy- 
right— Book-Binding  — Paper  Lanterns  — Blue  China  — 

Quack  Medicines  — Criticisms 225-233 

ADULTERATIONS. 

The  Absurd  in  Shopping  — Sadness  and  Jubilation  — Con- 
densed Milk — Lemon  Sugar — Essence  of  Coffee — Shame- 
less Impositions  — Rose  Dentifrice  — Ito  — Provender  for 
the  Journey 234-230 


FOOD. 

Fish  and  Soy — The  Use  of  Game  and  Poultry  — Varieties 
of  Vegetables  — The  Raphanufs  sativus  — Tastelessness  of 
Fruits  — Cakes  and  Sweetmeats  — Cleanliness  and  Econo- 
my in  Cooking  — Cooking  Utensils  — Vivisection  — Soups 
— Formal  Entertainments  — Beverages  — The  Diet  of  the 
Poor 237-246 


DISCOMFORTS. 

The  Canal-side  at  Niigata — Awful  Loneliness — Courtesy 

— Dr.  Palm’s  Tandem  — A Noisy  Malmri  — A Jolting 
Journey  — The  Mountain  Villages — Winter  Dismalness 

— An  Out-of-the-world  Hamlet  — Crowded  Dw'ellings  — 

Riding  a Cow  — “ Drunk  and  Disorderly  ” — An  Enforced 
Rest  — Local  Discouragements  — Heavy  Loads  — Absence 

of  Beggary  — Slow  Travelling '247-257 


XVI 


CONTENTS. 


A PROSPEROUS  DISTRICT. 

Comely  Kine — Japanese  Criticism  on  a Foreign  Usage — A 
Pleasant  Halt  — Renewed  Courtesies  — The  Plain  of  Yon- 
ezawa  — A Curious  Mistake  — The  Mother’s  Memorial  — 

The  Judgments  of  Hades  — Arrival  at  Komatsu  — Stately 
Acci.)mmodation  — Latitude  in  Speech  — Silk  and  Silk 
Culture  — A Vicious  Horse  — An  Asiatic  Arcadia  — A 
Fashionable  Watering-place  — A Belle — “Godowns”  — 

The  God  of  Wealth 258-273 

A JAPANESE  DOCTOR. 

Prosperity  — Convict  Labour  — A New  Bridge  — Yamagata 
— Intoxicating  Forgeries  — The  Government  Buildings 


— Bad  Manners  — A Filature  — Snow  Mountains  — A 
Wretched  Town 274-288 


A FEARFUL  DISEASE. 

The  Effect  of  a Chicken  — Poor  Fare  — Slow  Travelling  — 

Stone’  Ropes  — Objects  of  Interest  — Kak'ke  — The  Fatal 
Close  — Predisposing  Causes  — A Great  Fire  — Security 
of  the  Kuras 289-292 


FUNERAL  CEREMONIES. 

Lunch  in  Public  — AGrotesque  Accident  — Police  Enquiries 
— Man  or  Woman  ? — A Melancholy  Stare  — A Vicious 
Horse  — An  Ill-favoured  Town — A Disappointment  — A 
Torn 293-303 


POLICEMEN. 

A.  Casual  Invitation  — A Ludicrous  Incident  — Politeness  of 
a Policeman  — A Comfortless  Sunday  — An  Outrageous 
Irmption  — A Privileged  Stare 304-306 

A HOSPITAL  ’^HSIT. 

The  Necessity  of  Firmness  — Perplexing  Misrepresentations 
— Gliding  with  the  Stream  — Suburban  Residences  — 

The  Kubota  Hospital  — A Formal  Reception  — Bad  Nurs- 
ing— The  Antiseptic  Treatment  — A Well-arranged  Dis- 
pensary — The  Normal  School  — Contrasts  and  Incon- 
gruities   307-314 


CONTENTS. 


xvii 


THE  POLICE  FORCE. 

A.  Silk  Factory  — Employment  for  Women  — A Police  Escort 

— The  Japanese  Police  Force  — A Ruined  Castle  — The 

increasing  Study  of  Law 

ITO’S  VIRTUES  AND  FAULTS. 

“ A Plague  of  Immoderate  Rain  ” — A Confidential  Servant 

— Ito’s  Diary  — Ito’s  Excellences  — Ito’s  Faults  — A 

Prophecy  of  the  Future  of  J apan  — Curious  Queries  — 
Superfine  English  — Economical  Travelling — The  Japan- 
ese Pack-horse  again 

A WEDDING  CEREMONY. 

The  Symbolism  of  Seaweed — Afternoon  Visitors  — An  In- 
fant Prodigy  — A Feat  in  Calligraphy  — Child  Worship  — 
The  Japanese  Seal  — A Borrowed  Dress  — Marriage 
Arrangements  — A Trousseau  — House  Furniture  — The 
Marriage  Ceremony  — A Wife’s  Position  — Code  of  Morals 
for  Women 


A HOLIDAY. 

A Holiday  Scene  — A Matsuri  — Attractions  of  the  Revel 

— Matsuri  Cars  — Gods  and  Demons  — Tableaux  vivants 

— A possible  Harbour  — A Village  Forge  — Prosperity  of 

Sake  Brewers  — The  Introduction  of  Sake  into  Japan  — 
Safce  and  Revenue — A “ great  Sight  ” . . . . 

A NARROW  ESCAPE. 

The  Fatigues  of  Travelling  — Torrents  and  Mud  — Ito’s  Sur- 
liness — The  Blind  Shampooers  — Guilds  of  the  Blind  — 
A supposed  Monkey  Theatre  — A Suspended  Ferry  — A 
DiflBcult  Transit  — Perils  on  the  Yonetsurugawa  — A 
Boatman  Drowned — Nocturnal  Disturbances  — A noisy 
Yadoya  — Storm-bound  Travellers  — Hail  Hail  — More 
Nocturnal  Disturbances 

SHIRASAWA. 

Good-tempered  Intoxication  — The  Effect  of  Sunshine  — A 
tedious  Altercation  — “ Harassed  Interests”  — Foreign 
Requirements  — Village  Doings  — Homogeneity  of  Japan 
— Evening  Occupations  — Noisy  Talk  — Social  Gatherings 
— Unfair  Comparisons  ....... 


315-311 


318-322 


323-336 


336-344 


346-356 


356-363 


XTLU 


CONTENTS. 


AN  INUNDATION. 

Torrents  of  Rain  — An  unpleasant  Detention  — Devastations 
produced  by  Floods  — The  Tadate  Pass  — The  Force  of 
Water  — Difficulties  thicken  — A Primitive  Yadoya  — 
The  Water  rises 


CHILDREN’S  GAMES. 

Scanty  Resources  — Japanese  Children  — Children’s  Games 
— A sagacious  Example  — A Kite  Competition  — Alpha- 
bet Cards  — Contagious  Merriment  — Popular  Proverbs  — 
Personal  Privations 


THE  TANABATA. 

Hope  deferred  — Effects  of  the  Flood  — Activity  of  the  Police 

— A Ramble  in  Disguise  — The  Tandbata  Festival  — Mr. 
SatOAv’s  Reputation  — The  Weaving  Woman  . 

POPULAR  SUPERSTITIONS. 

A Lady’s  Toilet  — Hair-Dressing  — Paint  and  Cosmetics  — 
Afternoon  Visitors  — Christian  Converts  — Popular  Super- 
stitions — Wraiths  and  Apparitions  — Spiritualism  — 
Omens  and  Dreams — Love  and  Revenge  . . . . 

PRIMITIVE  SIMPLICITY. 

A Travelling  Curiosity — Rude  Dwellings  — Primitive  Sim- 
plicity— The  Public  Bath-house  — Solemn  Queries  — 
The  “ Few  Stripes  ” — A Trembling  Hope . 

END  OF  THE  JOURNEY. 

A hard  Day’s  Journey  — An  Overturn — Nearing  the  Ocean 

— Joyful  Excitement  — Universal  Grejmess  — Inoppor- 
tune Policemen  — A Stormy  Voyage — A wild  Welcome 

— A Windy  Landing  — The  Journey’s  End 


364-37) 


372-378 


379-382 


383-395 


396-400 


401-407 


LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


The  Yomei  Gate,  Shkines  of  Nikk6  . . . FrontUpiect 

FASI 

Fujisan 13 

Teavelling  Restaueant 11 

Japanese  Man-Caet 24 

Stone  Lanteens 73 

A Kueuma 85 

Road-Side  Tea-House 91 

SiE  Haeey’s  Messengee 95 

Kanaya’s  House 108 

Japanese  Pack-Hoese 123 

Attendant  at  Tea-House 128 

SUMMEE  AND  WiNTEE  COSTUME 163 

Buddhist  Peiests 213 

Steeet  and  Canal 222 

The  Flowing  Invocation 261 

The  Belle  of  Kaminoyama 210 

Daikoku 272 

Toeii 296 

Myself  in  a Steaw  Rain-Cloak  346 

A Lady’s  Mieroe  385 

Akita  FAitM-HousE 397 

ziz 


GLOSSARY  OF  JAPANESE  WORDS 


FOE  WHICH  ACTUAI.  ENGLISH  EQUIVALENTS  DO  NOT  EXIST 


SIMPLE  RULES  FOR  THE  PRONXTNCIATION  OF  JAPANESE  WORDa 

The  vowels  are  pronounced  as  in  Italian,  with  the  exception  of  «, 
which  takes  the  sound  given  to  the  same  letter  in  English  in  “ put,” 
“full,”  etc. 

Consonants  are  sounded  as  in  English ; but  g,  except  at  the  begin- 
ning of  a word,  is  pronounced  like  ng  in  singing.  The  h is  distinctly 
aspirated.  Hi  is  almost  like  s/i. 


Amado.  Outside  shutters  sliding  in  grooves;  lit.  “ rain-doors.” 

Andon.  A square  or  circular  paper  lantern  in  a lacquer  or 
wooden  frame,  3 feet  high. 

Bento  hako.  Occasional  meal  or  luncheon  box  of  varnished  wood 
or  lacquer,  with  several  compartments. 

Butsu-dana.  Buddhist  altar  shelf. 

Chaya.  A house  where  tea  and  other  refreshments  are  sold,  to  be 
eaten  or  drunk  on  the  premises;  lit.  “tea-house.” 

DaimiyO.  Territorial  nobles  under  the  old  regime,  with  annual 
revenues  estimated  at  10,000  koku  of  rice,  and  upwards ; lit. 
“great  name.” 

Daidokoro.  An  open  kitchen. 

Doma.  A small  yard  within  the  entrance  of  houses;  lit.  “ earth- 
space.” 

Eta.  Men  who  had  to  do  with  dead  animals,  hides,  etc.  A 
pariah  class  estimated  at  3,000,000,  whose  disabilities  are 
now  removed. 


XXI 


XXll 


GLOSSARY. 


Fusuma  Sliding  screens  covered  with  wall  paper. 

Geisha.  A professional  woman,  possessed  of  the  accomplishments 
of  playing,  singing,  and  dancing. 

llakama.  Full  petticoat  trousers,  formerly  worn  only  by  the 
Samurai. 

Haori.  A short,  sleeved  mantle  worn  by  both  sexes. 

Ueimin.  The  commonalty.  All  classes  below  the  nobility  and 
gentry. 

Hibachi.  A charcoal  brazier. 

llama.  An  unmatted  floor.  Applied  to  the  polished  ledge  on 
which  people  sit  to  wash  their  feet  at  the  entrance  of  a 
house;  lit.  “board-space.” 

Irori.  A square  depression  in  the  middle  of  a floor,  used  as  a fire- 
place. 

Tishindo.  A small  door  in  the  amado;  lit.  “ earthquake-door.” 

Joroya.  A house  of  ill-fame. 

Kago.  A covered  basket,  in  which  a traveller  is  carried  by  two 
men. 

Kakemono.  A hanging  picture. 

Kak’ke.  A disease  similar  to  the  beri-beri  of  Ceylon ; lit.  “ leg' 
humour.” 

KaimiyO.  The  name  given  to  persons  after  death. 

Kaitakushi.  i Department  for  the  colonisation  of  Tezo. 

Kamado.  A kitchen  fire. 

Kami-dana.  A Shinto  shrine-shelf. 

Kashitsukeya.  A non-respectable  yadoya. 

Kimono.  A long,  sleeved  robe,  open  in  front  and  folding  over, 
worn  by  both  sexes  with  a girdle. 

Kuge.  Nobles  of  the  Mikado’s  court  under  the  old  regime. 

Kura.  A “godown.”  A fireproof  storehouse. 

Kuruma.  AjinrikisJia  or  man-power  carriage ; lit.  a “ wheel  ” oi 
“ vehicle.” 

Kuwazoku.  The  new  name  for  the  nobility  in  general. 

Makimono.  A picture  roll,  or  illuminated  scroll. 

Mago.  A pack-horse  leader. 

Maro  (Polynesian).  A loin  cloth  six  inches  broad. 

Matsuri.  A religious  festival. 

Mekake.  Concubine. 


GLOSSARY. 


XX  111 


Sake.  Rice  beer  containing  from  11  to  17  per  cent  of  alcohol. 

Sakura.  A species  of  wild  cherry.  \^Prunus  cera.s-u.?.] 

Samurai.  The  retainers  of  the  daimiyo  under  the  old  regime 
“ two-sworded  ” men. 

Shizoku.  The  gentry.  Equivalent  to  Samurai. 

Shogun  (Tycoon).  The  Mikado’s  chief  vassal;  erroneously  styled 
by  foreigners  “The  Temporal  Emperor.”  Abolished.  Full 
title,  Sei-i-Tai  ShSgun,  “Barbarian-quelling  generalissimo,” 
bestowed  by  the  Mikado  upon  his  son,  Yamato-dake-no- 
mikoto,  conqueror  of  the  aborigines  of  the  north  and  west  of 
the  main  island,  b.c.  86.  The  first  hereditary  Shogun  was 
Minomoto  Yoritomo,  a.d.  1190,  the  greatest,  lyeyasu,  the 
founder  of  the  Tokugawa  dynasty  two  centuries  ago,  the 
last,  Keiki,  now  living  in  retirement  at  Shidzuoka. 

Shoji.  Sliding  screens  with  translucent  paper. 

Shdmiyd.  A territorial  noble  with  an  annual  revenue  of  less  than 
10,000  koku  of  rice;  lit.  “ small  name.” 

Tabako-hon.  A wooden  tray  with  fire-pot  and  ash-pot. 

Tatami.  House-mats,  5 feet  9 inches  by  3 feet,  stuffed  to  a thick- 
ness of  2^  inches,  and  covered  with  a finely-woven  surface. 

Teishiu  (pronounced  ieishi).  Used  for  the  house-master,  or  host  of 
a yadoya;  also  for  husband  by  wife. 

Tokonoma.  An  alcove  with  a polished  floor;  lit.  “ bed-place.” 

Torii.  A sacred  gateway.  A portal  over  entrance  of  avenue 
leading  to  temples  and  shrines;  lit.  “ bird’s  rest.” 

Yadoya.  A Japanese  inn. 

Zen.  A small  lacquered  stand  6 inches  high,  supplied  as  a 
dining-table  to  each  person  at  a meal. 


WOKDS  USKD  IN  COMBINATION. 

Bashi.  A bridge,  as  Setabashi. 

Kawa  or  gawa.  A river,  as  Kanagawa. 

Machi.  A street,  as  Teramachi. 

Sawa.  A swamp  or  defile,  as  Shirasawa. 

Toge.  A pass,  as  Sannotogd. 

Yama.  A mountain,  as  Asamayama. 

Zan  or  san.  A syllable  affixed  to  mountains  whose  names  are 
supposed  to  be  of  Chinese  origin,  as  Nikkozan. 


INTRODUCTORY  CHAPTER. 


To  those  of  my  readers  who  are  familiar  with  Japan  1 
offer  an  apology  for  a chapter  of  elementary  facts,  and 
ask  them  to  omit  it.  The  few  who  have  never  previ- 
ously read  a book  on  Japan,  and  the  many  who  have 
forgotten  what  they  read,  or  whose  far  eastern  geogra- 
phy is  rusty,  or  in  whose  memories  the  curious  inven- 
tions of  some  early  voyagers  stick,  or  who  still  believe 
in  hara  kiri  and  the  existence  of  a shadowy  Mikado  at 
Kiy8to,  and  a solid  Sh8gun  at  T8kiyo,  are  requested  to 
read  it. 

If  an  eminent  writer  found  that  “ educated  Britons  ” 
required  more  than  one  re-statement  of  the  fact  that 
the  coco  palm  and  the  cacao  bush  are  not  one  and  the 
same  thing,  it  is  not  surprising  that  such  facts  as  that 
the  “ Spiritual  ” and  “ Temporal  ” Emperors  are  fictions 
of  the  past,  and  that  the  most  northern  part  of  Japan 
with  its  Siberian  winter  is  south  of  the  most  southern 
point  of  England,  are  not  always  fresh  in  the  memory. 
Were  it  so,  such  questions  and  remarks  as  the  follow- 
ing could  not  be  uttered  by  highly  educated,  and,  in 
some  respects,  well-informed  people.  By  a general  offi- 
cer’s wife,  “ Is  Sir  Harry  Parkes  Governor  of  Japan?” 
By  a borough  M.P.,  “ Is  there  any  hope  of  the  aboli- 
tion of  slavery  in  Japan  ? ” By  a county  M.P.,  “ Is  tlie 

1 


2 


UNBEATEN  TBACES  IN  JAPAN. 


Viceroy  of  Japan  appointed  for  life  ? ” By  one  gentle 
man  holding  an  official  appointment  in  India  to  another, 
both  having  been  crammed  for  Civil  Service  examina- 
tions within  the  last  two  years,  “ Japan  belongs  to  Rus- 
sia now,  doesn’t  it?  ” “ Yes,  I think  China  ceded  it  in 

return  for  something  or  other  a few  years  ago,”  and  in 
the  same  connection,  an  officer  holding  a higli  military 
appointment  contended  not  only  that  Japan  belongs  to 
Russia,  but  that  it  is  on  the  Asiatic  mainland,  and  was 
only  convinced  of  his  error  by  being  confi-onted  mth 
the  map ; the  mistake  in  both  the  latter  cases  probably 
arising  out  of  a hazy  recollection  that  Japan  surren- 
dered Saghalien  to  Russia  a few  years  ago  in  exchange, 
for  some  small  islands. 

The  suppositions  that  Sir  Harry  Parkes  is  Governor 
of  Japan,  that  Japan  is  tributary  to  China,  that  the 
Japanese  are  Roman  Catholics,  that  Christianity  is  pro- 
hibited, that  the  people  of  the  interior  are  savages,  and 
that  the  climate  is  tropical,  have  been  repeated  over  and 
over  again  in  my  hearing  by  educated  people,  and  mis- 
takes equally  grotesque  frequently  find  their  way  into 
the  newspapers ; so  true  is  it  that,  unless  we  are  going 
to  travel  in  a country,  to  fight  it,  or  to  colonise  it,  our 
information  is  seldom  either  abundant  or  accurate,  and 
highly  imaginative  accoimts  by  early  travellers,  the  long 
period  of  mysterious  seclusion,  and  the  changes  which 
have  succeeded  each  other  with  breathless  rapidity  dur- 
ing the  last  eleven  years,  create  a special  confusion  in 
our  ideas  of  Japan. 

So  rapid,  indeed,  have  these  changes  been,  that  on 
turning  to  Chambers’s  admirable  Uncyclopcedia,  I find 
that  the  edition  of  1863  states  that  there  are  two  Em- 
perors, Spiritual  and  Secular,  that  Japan  is  ruled  by  an 
aristocracy  of  hereditary  daimiyd.,  that  the  weapons  used 
by  the  army  are  matchlocks  and  even  bows  and  arrows. 


VARIETIES  IN  CLIMATE. 


a 


that  the  navy  is  composed  of  war  junks,  that  the  iron 
cash  is  the  only  circulating  medium,  that  the  most  re- 
markable of  existing  customs  is  hara  lari.,  that  only  men 
of  rank  can  enter  a city  on  horseback,  and  that  the  area 
of  the  Empire  is  estimated  at  265,000  square  miles,  • — 
mauy  of  which  statements  were  substantially  correct 
sixteen  years  ago. 

I’he  few  facts  which  follow  are  merely  given  for  the 
purpose  of  making  the  succeeding  Letters  intelligible. 
Sixteen  days’  sail  from  America,  forty-two  from  Eng- 
land, and  four  from  Hong  Kong,  Japan  lies  only  20 
miles  from  Kamtchatka,  and  a day’s  sail  in  a junk  from 
the  Asian  mainland  of  Corea.  The  Japanese  Empire, 
which  is  said  to  be  composed  of  3800  islands,  extends 
from  Lat.  24°  to  50°  40'  N.,  and  from  Long.  124°  to 
156°  38'  E.,  that  is  to  say,  that  its  northern  extremity  is 
a little  south  of  the  Land’s  End,  and  its  southern  a lit- 
tle north  of  Nubia.  Straggling  over  26°  of  latitude, 
and  extending  southwards  to  within  thirty  miles  of  the 
Tropic  of  Cancer,  a man  may  enjoy  a nearly  perpetual 
summer  in  Yakunoshima,  or  shiver  in  the  rigours  of  a 
Siberian  winter  in  Northern  Yezo.  The  traveller’s 
opinion  of  the  climate  depends  very  much  upon  whether 
he  goes  to  Japan  from  the  east  or  west.  If  from  Singa- 
pore or  China,  he  pronounces  it  bracing,  healtliful,  de- 
licious ; if  from  California,  damp,  misty,  and  enervating. 
Then  there  are  good  and  bad  seasons,  cold  or  mild  win- 
ters, cool  or  hot  summers,  dry  or  wet  years,  and  other 
variations,  besides  a greater  variety  of  actual  climates 
than  the  mere  extent  of  latitude  warrants. 

Thus  the  eastern  coasts  are  warmed  by  the  Kuro 
Shiwo,  the  gulf-stream  of  the  North  Pacific,  and  the 
western  are  chilled  during  many  months  of  the  year  by 
a cold  north-west  wind  from  the  Asiatic  mainland, 
which  gathers  moisture  from  the  Sea  of  Japan,  while 


4 


UNBEATEN  TBACKS  IN  JAPAN. 


the  climate  of  Northern  Yezo  is  Siberianised  by  the 
cold  current  from  the  Sea  of  Okotsk.  Climate  is  fur- 
ther modified  by  the  influence  of  the  monsoons,  but,  on 
the  whole,  it  may  be  said  that  the  summer  is  hot,  damp, 
and  cloudy,  and  the  winter  cold,  bright,  and  relatively 
dry ; that  the  spring  and  autumn  are  briefer  and  more 
vivid  than  in  England ; that  the  skies  are  brighter,  and 
the  sun  hotter  and  more  lavish  of  his  presence ; that 
there  is  no  sickly  season  ; that  there  are  no  diseases  of 
locality ; and  that  Europeans  and  their  children  thrive 
well  in  all  parts  of  the  Empire. 

There  are,  however,  certain  drawbacks,  such  as  the 
throbbing  and  jerking  of  frequent  earthquakes,  the  lia- 
bility to  typhoons  in  July,  August,  and  September,  the 
uncertainty  as  to  the  intentions  of  certain  dormant  but 
not  extinct  volcanoes,  and  mild  malaria. 

The  area  of  this  much-disintegrated  Empire  is  147,582 
square  miles,  i.e.  it  is  considerably  larger  than  Great 
Britain  and  Ireland,  Prussia,  or  Italy,  considerably 
smaller  than  France,  and  not  so  large  as  any  one  of  the 
eighteen  provinces  into  which  Cliina  is  divided.  Among 
its  3800  islands  Honshiu  [Nipon],  Kiushiu,  Sliikoku, 
and  Yezo,  are  the  most  important.  These  islands  are 
among  the  most  mountainous  in  the  world ; there  are 
several  active  volcanoes,  and  the  extinct  ones,  of  which 
the  well-known  Fujisan,  13,080  feet  high,  is  the  loftiest, 
are  almost  innumerable.  The  area  of  forest  is  four 
times  as  great  as  that  of  the  cultivated  land ; the  lakes 
are  few,  and,  with  the  exception  of  Lake  Biwa,  small ; 
the  streams  are  countless,  but  the  rivers  are  mostly 
short  and  badly  suited  for  navigation.  There  are  few 
harbours  on  the  east  coast,  and  almost  none  on  the  west, 
but  such  as  there  are,  are  deep  and  capacious  The 
soil  is  mainly  disintegrated  basalt,  and  is  not  nariiraUj 
very  prolific.  The  scenery  is  often  grand,  and  nearly 


A GORGEOUS  FLORA. 


5 


always  pretty,  and  if  there  be  monotony,  it  is,  as  Baron 
Hubner  says,  “ the  poetry  of  monotony.”  The  luxuri- 
ance of  the  vegetation  and  the  greenness  in  spring  and 
throughout  the  summer  are  so  wonderful  that  the  islands 
of  the  Japanese  Archipelago  might  well  be  called  the 
Emerald  Isles.  Even  winter  faUs  to  bring  brownness 
and  bareness.  Evergreens  of  150  varieties  compensate 
for  the  leaflessness  of  the  deciduous  trees,  every  land- 
scape is  bright  with  the  verdure  of  springing  crops,  and 
camellias  with  their  crimson  blossoms  light  up  leafage 
covered  with  snow.  The  mountains  of  Japan  are  cov- 
ered with  forest,  and  the  valleys  and  plains  are  ex- 
quisitely tilled  gardens. 

The  Empire  is  very  rich  in  flowers,  and  especially 
in  flowering  shrubs.  Azaleas,  camellias,  hydrangeas, 
and  magnolias  all  delight  the  eye  in  their  seasons  with 
a breadth  and  blaze  of  colour  which  cannot  be  described, 
and  irises,  peonies,  cherries,  and  plums,  have  their 
special  festivals.  The  classic  lotus  with  its  great  pink 
or  white  cups,  the  Paulownia  Imperialism  a tree  which 
bears  erect  foxglove  blossoms,  deutzias  with  their  grace- 
ful flowers,  rhododendrons,  wistaria,  and  many  green- 
house friends,  are  as  common  as  hawthorns  and  hedge- 
roses  with  us.  Savatier  enumerates  1699  species  of 
dicotyledonous  plants  in  Japan,  and  the  monocotyledo- 
nous  are  proportionately  numerous.  Among  the  former 
are  eight  species  of  magnolia,  seven  of  hydrangea, 
twenty  of  rhododendron,  fourteen  of  ilex,  tweiity-two 
of  maple,  twenty-two  of  oak,  four  of  pine,  and  nine  ol 
fir.  Among  the  novelties  in  flowering  shrubs  and  gor- 
geous lilies,  the  English  ivy,  sundew,  mistletoe,  butter- 
cup, marsh  marigold,  purple  and  white  clover,  honey- 
suckle, coltsfoot,  sow  thistle,  veronica,  and  many  others, 
rejoice  the  traveller’s  eye  by  their  familiar  homeliness. 
Among  the  trees  which  claim  homage  either  from  theii 


6 


UNBEATEN  TRACKS  IN  JAPAN. 


beauty  or  majesty,  the  Cryptomeria  japonica.iihQ  Camellia 
japonica.,  the  Zelkawa  keahi  (a  species  of  elm),  the  Salis- 
buria  adiantifolia,  the  Magnolia  hyperleuca.,  and  the  Per- 
simmon^ are  in  the  first  rank,  and  the  eye  rests  with 
special  delight  on  the  great  bamboo,  whose  feathery, 
bright  green  foliage  massed  against  groves  of  coniferee 
seems  to  combine  the  tropics  with  the  temperate  zone. 
The  26°  of  latitude  tlirough  which  the  Empire  extends 
give  it  an  infinite  variety  of  vegetation,  from  the  rigid 
pine  and  scrub  oak  of  Yezo  to  the  palms,  bananas,  and 
sugar-cane  of  Kiushiu.  Ferns  are  abundant  and  very 
varied,  but  indigenous  fruits  are  few,  small,  sour,  and 
tasteless. 

The  fauna  is  meagre,  consisting  chiefly  of  deer,  bears, 
wolves,  wild  boars,  badgers,  foxes,  monkeys,  snakes,  and 
small  ground  animals ; eagles,  hawks,  herons,  quails, 
pheasants,  and  storks,  are  numerous,  and  crows  are  in- 
numerable, but  birds  of  sweet  voice  and  brilliant  plu- 
mage are  mournfully  rare,  and  silence  is  a characteristic 
of  nature  in  Japan ; nor  do  imported  animals  make  up 
for  the  lack  of  indigenous  ones.  They  have  no  place  in 
Japanese  landscape.  There  are  no  grass  fields  or  velvety 
pasture  lands,  or  farmyards  knee-deep  in  straw,  and 
flocks  and  herds  form  no  part  of  the  wealth  of  the 
Japanese  farmer.  Oxen  are  used  for  draught  alone, 
and  not  by  any  means  generally.  Horses  are  used  as 
beasts  of  burden  and  for  riding,  but  the  Japanese  horse 
is  a mean,  sorry  brute,  a grudging,  ungenerous  animal, 
trying  to  human  patience  and  temper,  with  three  move- 
ments (not  by  any  means  to  be  confounded  with  paces) 
— a di-ag,  a roil,  and  a scramble.  The  ass,  mule,  and 
pig,  are  only  to  be  seen  on  experimental  farms.  Cow- 
ardly yellow  dogs,  much  given  to  nocturnal  howling, 
miserable  misrepresentations  of  the  Scotch  collie, 
abound,  and  are  probably  indigenous,  besides  which 


‘ OhlENTAL  MAGNIFICENCE.” 


7 


there  are  imported  lap-dogs  dwarfish  and  objectiooable, 
and  domestic  cats,  mostly  with  only  rudimentary  tails. 
Duc^ks  and  the  ubiquitous  barn-door  fowl  are  every- 
where. Mosquitoes  are  nearly  universal  between  April 
and  October,  and  insects  which  stab  and  sting  abound. 

Railroads  have  been  introduced  between  Yokohama 
and  TokiyS,  and  Kobe,  Kiyoto,  and  Otsu,  seventy-sLs 
miles  in  all.  The  main  roads  vary  in  width  from  thirty 
feet  to  that  of  mere  rude  bridle  tracks,  and  the  bye- 
roads  are  narrow  tracks  only  passable  for  pack-horses. 
Nearly  all  travelling  must  be  done  on  foot  or  on  pack- 
horses,  or  in  covered  bamboo  baskets,  called  kago.,  carried 
by  men,  or  on  the  level  in  kurumas.,  two-wheeled  vehicles 
drawn  by  men.  There  are  yadoyas  or  inns  on  most  of 
the  routes,  and  post  stations  where  horses  and  coolies 
can  be  procured  at  fixed  rates. 

The  population  of  34,358,404  souls,  or  about  230  to 
the  square  mile,  is  larger  by  a million  than  that  of  the 
United  Kingdom,  exceeds  that  of  Prussia  by  nine  mil- 
lions, and  that  of  Italy  by  seven  millions,  but  is  less 
than  that  of  France  by  a million  and  a half.  With  the 
exception  of  12,000  Ainos,  and  about  5000  Europeans, 
Americans,  and  Chinese,  this  population  is  absolutely 
homogeneous,  and  yellow  skins,  dark,  elongated  eyes, 
and  dark,  straight  hair,  are  the  rule.  The  same  lan- 
guage, with  certain  immaterial  provincialisms,  is  spoken 
by  all  the  Japanese  of  the  Empire,  and  similar  uni- 
formity prevails  in  temples,  dwelling-houses,  and  cos- 
tume. 

Japan  is  beyond  the  limits  of  “ Oriental  magnificence.” 
Colour  and  gilding  are  only  found  in  the  temples ; 
palaces  and  cottages  are  alike  of  grey  wood ; arcliitec- 
tiu’e  scarcely  exists ; wealth,  if  there  be  any,  makes  no 
display;  dull  blues,  browns,  and  greys,  are  the  usual 
colours  of  costume  ; jewellery  is  not  worn  ; everything 


8 


UNBEATEN  TRACKS  IN  JAPAN. 


is  poor  and  pale,  and  a monotony  of  meanness  charac- 
terises the  towns. 

The  Japanese  of  the  treaty  ports  are  cont.'iminated 
and  vulgarised  by  intercourse  with  foreigners  ; those  of 
the  interior,  so  far  from  being  “savages,”  are  kindly, 
gentle,  and  courteous,  so  much  so,  that  a lady  with  no 
other  attendant  than  a native  servant  can  travel,  as  I 
have  done,  for  1200  miles  through  little-visited  regions, 
and  not  meet  with  a single  instance  of  incivility  or 
extortion. 

Foreigners  in  Japan  are  stUl  under  restrictions,  i.e. 
they  are  only  allowed  to  settle  and  trade  in  Yokohama, 
Nagasaki,  TokiyO,  Kobe,  Osaka,  Hakodate^,  and  Niigata. 
Nor  can  they  travel  beyond  a radius  of  25  miles  from 
the  “treaty  ports,”  without  a “passport,”  or  formal  per- 
mission from  the  Government,  obtainable  only  for  a 
given  time  and  route.  Foreigners  are  not  under  Japan- 
ese jurisdiction,  but  are  tried  for  offences  in  their  own 
consular  Courts,  and  their  privilege  of  “extra-territori- 
ality ” is  regarded  as  a great  grievance  by  the  Japanese, 
and  is  a constant  bone  of  contention  between  the 
Japanese  and  Foreign  Governments. 

The  mystery  of  a “ Spiritual  Emperor,”  secluded  in 
KiySto,  and  a “Temporal  Emperor”  reigning  in  Yedo 
no  longer  exists ; the  Shogunate  is  abolished,  Yedo  has 
become  T6kiy8  ; the  daimiyd.,  shorn  of  their  power  and 
titles,  have  retired  into  private  life  ; the  “ two-sworded  ” 
men  are  extinct,  and  the  Mikado,  a modern-looking  man 
in  European  dress,  reigns  by  divine  right  in  Tokiy8, 
with  European  appliances  of  “ironclads,”  “Armstrongs,” 
and  “needle  guns,”  and  the  prestige  of  being  the  one 
hundred  and  twenty-third  in  direct  descent  from  the 
Sun  Goddess,  the  chief  deity  in  the  Pantheon  of  the 
national  religion.  His  government  is  a modified  des- 
potism, with  tendencies  at  times  in  a constitutional 


OLD  ANB  NEW  JAPAN. 


9 


direction.  Slavery  is  unknown,  and  class  disabUitiea 
no  longer  exist. 

Shint6,  a rude  form  of  nature  and  myth  worship, 
probably  indigenous,  containing  no  moral  code,  and  few 
if  any  elements  of  religion,  is  the  “state,”  and  “state 
endowed  ” church,  but  Buddhism,  imported  from  Corea 
in  the  sixth  century,  and  disestablished  since  the  res- 
toration of  the  Mikado,  has  a firmer  hold  on  the  masses, 
the  higher  classes  contenting  themselves  with  a system 
of  secular  philosophy  while  giving  a nominal  adhesion 
to  Sliint6  for  political  purposes.  Christianity  is  quietly 
tolerated,  and  Protestants,  Roman  Catholics,  and  Greeks, 
claim  among  them  about  27,000  converts. 

Politically,  old  Japan  is  no  more.  The  grandeur  of 
its  rulers,  its  antique  chivalry,  its  stately  etiquette,  its 
ceremonial  costume,  its  punctilious  suicides,  and  its 
codes  of  honour,  only  exist  on  the  stage.  Its  tradi- 
tional customs,  its  rigid  social  order,  its  formal  polite- 
ness, its  measured  courtesies,  its  ignorant  patriotism, 
its  innumerable  and  enslaving  superstitions,  linger  still 
in  the  interior,  specially  in  the  regions  where  a debased 
and  corrupt  form  of  Buddhism  holds  sway.  Over  great 
districts  of  country  on  the  unbeaten  track  which  I 
traversed  from  NikkS  to  Aomori,  the  rumble  of  the 
wheels  of  progress  is  scarcely  yet  heard,  and  the  Jap- 
anese peasant  lives  and  thinks  as  his  fathers  lived  and 
thought  before  him. 

Since  my  return,  I have  frequently  been  asked 
whether  the  rage  for  western  civilisation  is  likely  to  be 
more  than  a passing  fancy,  and  whether  the  civilisation 
itself  is  more  than  a temporary  veneering  ? It  is  only 
seven  years  since  the  mission  of  Iwakura  and  his  col- 
leagues visited  Europe  and  America  with  the  view  of 
investigating  western  civilisation  and  transplanting  its 
best  results  to  Japanese  soil,  and  only  nine  since  the 


10 


UNBEATEN  TRACKS  IN  JAPAN. 


magnificent  and  complicated  system  of  Japanese  feudal 
ism  was  swept  away.  Of  the  men  who,  rule  Japan,  only 
two  are  “aristocrats.”  With  the  impetus  of  the  new 
movement,  springing  mainly  from  the  people,  and  from 
within,  not  from  without,  we  have  undoubtedly  two  of 
the  elements  of  permanence. 

Many  Europeans  ridicule  Japanese  progress  as  “hn- 
itation,”  Chinese  and  Coreans  contemplate  it  with  ill- 
concealed  anger,  not  unmixed  with  jealousy,  yet  Japan 
holds  on  her  course,  and,  Avithout  venturing  to  predict 
her  future,  I see  no  reason  to  distrust  the  permanence 
of  a movement  which  has  isolated  her  from  other  Orien 
tal  nations,  and  which,  in  spite  of  very  many  extraA'a- 
gances  and  absurdities,  is  growing  and  broadening  daily. 
The  religion,  letters,  and  civilisation  which  she  received 
from  China  through  Corea  (^“  veenering,”  it  may  have 
been  said),  have  lasted  for  twelve  centuries.  The  cm- 
lisation  which  comes  from  the  far  W est  in  the  nineteenth 
century  is  not  a more  SAveeping  wave  than  that  which 
came  from  Corea  in  the  sixth,  and  is  likely  to  produce 
equally  enduring  results,  specially  and  certainly  if 
Christianity  overthrows  Buddhism,  the  most  powerful 
influence  from  without  which  has  hitherto  affected 
Japan. 

The  transformations  Avhich  are  being  accomplished  are 
under  the  direction  of  foreigners  m Government  serAuce, 
and  of  Japanese  selected  for  their  capacities,  who  have 
studied  for  some  years  in  Europe  and  America ; and  the 
Government  has  spared  neither  trouble  nor  expense  in 
securing  the  most  competent  assistance  in  all  depart- 
ments, and  it  is  only  in  comparatiA-ely  few  instances  that 
it  has  been  badly  advised  by  interested  aliens  for  the 
furtherance  of  personal  or  other  ends.  About  oOO  for- 
eigners have  been  at  one  time  or  other  in  its  serA'ice,  and 
though  they  may  have  met  Avitb  anno3*auces  and  exasper 


A REQUEST. 


11 


ations,  the  terms  of  their  contracts  have  been  faithfnllj! 
adhered  to.  Some  of  these  gentlemen  are  decorated 
with  high-sounding  titles  during  their  brief  engage- 
ments ; but  it  must  be  remembered  that  they  are  there 
as  helpers  only,  without  actual  authority,  as  servants 
and  not  masters,  and  that,  with  a notable  exception,  the 
greater  their  energy,  ability,  and  capacity  for  training, 
the  sooner  are  their  services  dispensed  with,  and  one 
department  after  another  passes  from  foreign  into  na- 
tive management.  The  retention  of  foreign  employes 
forms  no  part  of  the  programme  of  progress.  “ Japan 
for  the  Japanese  ” is  the  motto  of  Japanese  patriotism ; 
the  “ Barbarians  ” are  to  be  used,  and  dispensed  with  as 
soon  as  possible. 

Of  the  present  foreign  staff  the  great  majority  are 
teachers  ; considerably  more  than  half  are  English,  and 
Anglo-Saxon  influences  in  science,  culture,  and  political 
ideas  and  economy,  are  paramount  in  the  transformation 
of  the  Empire. 

With  these  few  introductory  remarks,  I ask  my  read- 
ers to  land  with  me  on  the  shores  of  the  “ Empire  cf  the 
Rising  Sun,”  and  to  accompany  me  with  patient  kindli- 
ness on  my  long  wanderings. 


12 


UNBEATEN  TRACKS  IN  JAPAN. 


FIRST  IMPRESSIONS. 

First  View  of  Japan — A Vision  of  Fujisan  — A Hybrid  City — Japs 
nese  Sampans  — “Pullman  Cars”  — Undignified  Locomot.on  — 
Paper  Money — The  Drawbacks  of  Japanese  Travelling. 

Oriental  Hotel,  Yokohama,  May  21. 

Eighteen  days  of  uniutermitted  rolling  over  “ deso- 
late rainy  seas”  brought  the  “City  of  Tokio  ” early 
yesterday  morning  to  Cape  King,  and  by  noon  we  were 
steaming  up  the  Gulf  of  Yedo,  quite  near  the  shore. 
The  day  was  soft  and  grey  with  a little  faint  blue  sky, 
and  though  the  coast  of  Japan  is  much  more  prepos- 
sessing than  most  coasts,  there  were  no  startling  sur- 
prises either  of  colour  or  form.  Broken  wooded  ridges, 
deeply  cleft,  rise  from  the  water’s  edge,  grey,  deep- 
roofed  villages  cluster  about  the  mouths  of  the  ra'vines, 
and  terraces  of  rice  cultivation,  bright  with  the  green- 
ness of  English  lawns,  run  up  to  a great  height  among 
dark  masses  of  upland  forest.  The  populousness  of 
the  coast  is  very  impressive,  and  the  gidf  every  where 
was  equally  peopled  with  fishing-boats,  of  which  we 
passed  not  only  hundreds  but  thousands  in  five  hoims. 
The  coasts  and  sea  were  pale,  and  the  boats  ivere  pale 
too,  their  hulls  being  unpainted  wood,  and  their  sails 
pure  white  duck.  Now  and  then  a high-sterned  junk 
drifted  bj^  like  a phantom  gallejq  then  we  slackened 
speed  to  avoid  exterminating  a fleet  of  triangular-look- 
ing fishing-boats  with  white  square  sails,  and  so  on 
through  the  greyness  and  dumbness  hour  after  hour. 


A VISION  OF  FUJI. 


13 


For  long  I looked  in  vain  for  Fujisan,  and  failed  tc 
Bee  it,  though  I heard  ecstasies  all  over  the  deck,  till 
accidentally  looking  heavenwards  instead  of  earthwards, 
T saw  far  above  any  possibility  of  height,  as  one  would 


rUJISAK. 


have  thought,  a huge,  truncated  cone  of  pure  snow, 
13,080  feet  above  the  sea,  from  which  it  sweeps  upwards 
in  a glorious  curve,  very  wan,  against  a very  pale  blue 
sky,  with  its  base  and  the  intervening  country  veiled  in 
a pale  grey  mistd  It  was  a wonderful  vision,  and 
shortly,  as  a.  vision,  vanished.  Except  the  cone  oi 
Tristan  d’Acunha  — also  a cone  of  snow  — I never  saw 
a mountain  rise  in  such  lonely  majesty,  with  nothing 

' This  is  an  altogether  exceptional  aspect  of  Fujisan,  under  excep- 
tional atmospheric  conditions.  The  mountain  usually  looks  hroadei 
and  lower,  and  is  often  compared  to  an  inverted  fan. 


14 


UNBEATEN  TRACKS  IN  JAPAN. 


near  or  far  to  detract  from  its  height  and  grandeur.  No 
wonder  that  it  is  a sacred  mountain,  and  so  dear  to  the 
Japanese  that  their  art  is  never  weary  of  representing 
it.  It  was  nearly  fifty  miles  off  when  we  first  saw  it. 

The  air  and  water  were  alike  motionless,  the  mist 
was  still  and  pale,  grey  clouds  lay  restfully  on  a bluish 
sky,  the  reflections  of  the  white  sails  of  the  fishing  boats 
scarcely  quivered ; it  was  all  so  pale,  wan,  and  ghastly, 
that  the  turbulence  of  crumpled  foam  which  we  left 
behind  us,  and  our  noisy,  throbbing  progress,  seemed  a 
boisterous  intrusion  upon  sleeping  Asia. 

The  gulf  narrowed,  the  forest-crested  hills,  the  tei 
raced  ravines,  the  picturesque  grey  \allages,  the  quiet 
beach  life,  and  the  pale  blue  masses  of  the  mountains  of 
the  interior,  became  more  visible.  Fuji  retired  into  the 
mist  in  which  he  enfolds  his  grandeur  for  most  of  the 
summer;  we  passed  Reception  Bay,  Perry  Island,  Web- 
ster Island,  Cape  Saratoga,  and  Mississippi  Bay  — 
American  nomenclature  which  perpetuates  the  successes 
of  American  diplomacy,  and  not  far  from  Treaty  Point 
came  upon  a red  light-sifip  with  the  words  “Treaty 
Point”  in  large  letters  upon  her.  Outside  of  this  no 
foreign  vessel  may  anchor. 

The  ports  open  to  the  trade,  and  under  certain  re- 
strictions to  the  residence  of  foreigners,  are  Yokohama, 
(Kanagawa),  Kobe,  Nagasaki,  Niigata,  and  Hakodate  in 
Yezo. 

Close  within  the  light-ship  is  the  pretty  bay  which 
forms  Yokohama  Harbour,  but  the  pale  blue  waters  of 
the  Gulf  of  Yedo,  speckled  with  the  white  sails  of 
countless  fishing-boats,  run  up  for  twenty  miles  to  the 
northwards  to  the  city  of  Yedo  or  TokiyQ.  The  Bluff,  a 
range  of  low  hills  running  abruptly  into  the  sea  on  the 
left,  and  losing  itself  inland  on  the  right,  covered  with 
bungalows,  large  and  small,  and  buildings  tvith  flagstaffs, 


A HYBRID  CITY. 


15 


which  are  the  English,  German,  and  American  Naval 
Hospitals,  and  the  Bund,  an  irregular  terrace  of  great 
length  carried  along  the  shore  on  a stone-faced  embank- 
ment, are  the  first  things  which  attract  attention.  Be- 
low the  Bluff  is  the  settlement,  mostly  foreign,  and 
then  a Japanese  town  of  low  grey  houses  and  monota- 
nous  grey  roofs  spreads  itself  over  an  extensive  plain. 

Yokohama  is  not  imposing  in  any  way  — these  hybrid 
cities  never  are;  its  Bluff  represents  the  suburbs  of 
Boston ; its  Bund,  the  suburbs  of  Birkenhead,  with  a 
semi-tropical  hallucination ; and  the  Japanese  town, 
mean  and  ineffective,  represents  I know  not  what,  un- 
less industrious  poverty.  Along  the  Bund  are  the 
Grand  and  International  Hotels,  the  club-house,  and 
several  of  the  “ hongs,”  or  houses  of  business,  that  of 
the  old  firm  of  Jardine,  Matheson,  and  Co.,  being  No. 
1.  All  these  stand  in  gardens  and  shrubberies,  and 
have  a broad  carriage  drive  between  them  and  the  sea. 
Then  there  are  the  British  Consulate,  imposingly  ugly, 
the  Union  Church,  partly  built  with  money  contributed 
in  the  Hawaiian  Islands,  unimposingly  so,  a few  other 
buildings  scarcely  less  offensive,  the  Japanese  Post 
Office,  Custom  House,  and  SaibanchS  or  Court  House, 
new,  and  built  substantially  in  foreign  style  by  foreign 
architects,  and  a huddle  of  mean  erections  which  look 
like  warehouses. 

There  are  two  hatobas  or  jetties,  English  and  French 
— dreary  projections  resembling  breakwaters,  with  slop- 
ing faces  of  undressed  stone,  but  there  are  neither  docks 
nor  wharves,  and  a fleet  of  large  ships,  mostly  steamers, 
were  receiving  or  discharging  cargo  at  their  moorings. 
Iron-clads  and  wooden  war-ships  bearing  the  flags  of 
England,  France,  America,  Italy,  and  Russia,  lay  in 
apparent  amity,  and  among  them  a handsome  Japanese 
steam  corvette,  lately  built  in  Englan  1,  flying  the  Japan- 


16 


UNBEATEN  TRACKS  IN  JAPAN. 


ese  flag  — a red  ball  on  a white  ground.  Among  the 
merchantmen  were  two  fine  mail  steamers  from  Hako- 
date and  Shanghai  belonging  to  the  Mitsu  Bishi  Co.,  a 
Japanese  line  which  is  gradually  acquiring  a monopoly 
of  the  Japanese  coasting  and  China  trade. 

The  bustle  among  my  fellow-passengers,  many  of 
whom  were  returning  home,  and  all  of  whom  expected 
to  be  met  by  friends,  left  me  at  leisure  as  I looked  at 
unattractive,  unfamiliar  Yokohama,  and  the  pale  grey 
land  stretched  out  before  me,  to  speculate  somewhat 
sadly  on  my  destiny  on  these  strange  shores,  on  which 
I have  not  even  an  acquaintance.  On  mooring,  we 
were  at  once  surrounded  by  crowds  of  native  boats 
called  by  foreigners  sampans.,  and  Dr.  Gulick,  a near 
relation  of  my  Hilo  friends,  came  on  board  to  meet  his 
daughter,  welcomed  me  cordially,  and  relieved  me  of 
all  the  trouble  of  disembarkation.  These  sampans  are 
very  clumsy-looking,  but  are  managed  with  great  dex- 
terity by  the  boatmen,  who  gave  and  received  any  num- 
ber of  bumps  Avith  much  good  nature,  and  without  any 
of  the  shouting  and  swearing  in  which  competitive  boat- 
men usually  indulge. 

The  partially  triangular  shape  of  these  boats  ap- 
proaches that  of  a salmon-fisher’s  punt  used  on  certain 
British  rivers.  Being  floored  gives  them  the  appearance 
of  being  absolutely  flat-bottomed ; but  though  they  tilt 
readily,  they  are  very  safe,  being  heavily  built,  and  fit- 
ted together  with  singular  precision  with  wooden  bolts 
and  a few  copper  cleets.  They  are  sculled,  not  what 
we  should  call  rowed,  by  two  or  four  men  with  very 
heavy  oars  made  of  two  pieces  of  Avood  working  on  pins 
placed  on  outrigger  bars.  The  men  scull  standing,  and 
use  the  thigh  as  a rest  for  the  oar.  They  all  wear  a 
single,  Avide-sleeved,  scanty,  blue  cotton  garment,  not 
fastened  or  girdled  at  the  waist,  straw  sandals,  kept  on 


MEN  ANB  MANNIKINS. 


17 


by  a tliong  passing  between  the  great  toe  and  the  others, 
and  if  they  wear  any  head-gear,  it  is  only  a wisp  of  blue 
cotton  tied  round  the  forehead.  The  one  garment  is 
only  an  apology  for  clothing,  and  displays  lean  concave 
chests  and  lean  muscular  limbs.  The  skin  is  very  yel- 
low, and  often  much  tattooed  with  mythical  beasts. 
The  charge  for  sampans  is  fixed  by  tariff,  so  the  travellei 


TBAVBLLING  BBBTAURANT. 


lands  without  having  his  temper  ruffled  by  extortionate 
demands. 

The  first  tiling  that  impressed  me  on  landing  was 
that  there  were  no  loafers,  and  that  all  the  small,  ugly, 
kindly-looking,  shrivelled,  bandy-legged,  round-shoul- 
dered, concave-chested,  poor-looking  beings  in  the  streets 
had  some  affairs  of  their  own  to  mind.  At  the  top  of 
the  landing-steps  there  was  a portable  restaurant,  a neat 
and  most  compact  thing,  with  charcoal  stove,  cooking 


18 


UNBEATEN  TRACKS  IN  JAPAN. 


and  eating  utensils  complete  ; but  it  looked  as  if  it  av  ere 
made  by  and  for  dolls,  and  the  mannikin  who  kept  it 
was  not  five  feet  high.  At  the  custom-house  we  were 
attended  to  by  minute  officials  in  blue  uniforms  of 
European  pattern,  and  leather  boots;  very  civil  crea- 
tures, who  opened  and  examined  our  trunks  carefully, 
and  strapped  them  up  again,  contrasting  pleasingly  with 
the  insolent  and  rapacious  officials  who  perform  the 
same  duties  at  New  York. 

Outside  were  about  fifty  of  the  now  well-known  jin- 
ri-ki-shas..  and  the  air  was  full  of  a buzz  produced  by  the 
rapid  reiteration  of  this  uncouth  word  by  fifty  tongues. 
This  conveyance,  as  you  know,  is  a feature  of  Japan, 
growing  in  importance  every  day.  It  was  only  invented 
seven  years  ago,  and  already  there  are  nearly  23,000  in 
one  city,  and  men  can  make  so  much  more  by  drawing 
them  than  by  almost  any  kind  of  skilled  labour,  that 
thousands  of  fine  young  men  desert  agricultural  pur- 
suits and  flock  into  the  towns  to  make  draught-animals 
of  themselves,  though  it  is  said  that  the  average  dura- 
tion of  a man’s  life  after  he  takes  to  running  is  only 
five  years,  and  that  the  runners  fall  victims  in  large 
numbers  to  aggravated  forms  of  heart  and  lung  disease 
Over  tolerably  level  ground  a good  runner  can  trot 
fo]  ty  miles  a day,  at  a rate  of  about  four  miles  an  hour. 
They  are  registered  and  taxed  at  8s.  a year  for  one 
carrying  two  persons,  and  4s.  for  one  which  carries  one 
only,  and  there  is  a regular  tariff  for  time  and  distance. 

The  kuruma  or  jin-ri-ki-sha  ^ consists  of  a light  per- 
ambulator body,  an  adjustible  hood  of  oiled  paper,  a 
velvet  or  cloth  liiiing  and  cushion,  a well  for  parcels 

1 I continue  hereafter  to  use  the  Japanese  word  kuruma  instead  ol 
the  Chinese  word  Jin-ri-kisha.  Kuruma,  iiterally  a wheel  or  vehicle,  ia 
the  word  commonly  used  by  the  Jin-ri-kisha  men  and  other  Japanese 
for  the  “ man-power-carriage,”  and  is  certainly  more  euphonious.  From 
kunima  naturally  comes  kw'umaija  for  the  kuruma  runner. 


UNBIGNIFIED  LOCOMOTION. 


19 


under  the  seat,  two  high  slim  wheels,  and  a pair  ot  shafts 
connected  by  a bar  at  the  ends.  The  body  is  usually 
lacquered  and  decorated  according  to  its  owner’s  taste. 
Some  show  little  except  polished  brass,  others  are  alto- 
gether inlaid  with  shells  known  as  Venus’s  ear,  and 
others  are  gaudily  painted  with  contorted  dragons,  or 
groups  of  peonies,  hydrangeas,  chrysanthemums,  and 
mythical  personages.  They  cost  from  £2  upwards. 
The  shafts  rest  on  the  ground  at  a steep  incline  as  you 
get  in  — it  must  require  much  practice  to  enable  one 
to  mount  with  ease  or  dignity  — the  runner  lifts  them 
up,  gets  into  them,  gives  the  body  a good  tilt  back- 
wards, and  goes  off  at  a smart  trot.  They  are  drawn 
by  one,  two,  or  three  men,  according  to  the  speed  de- 
sired by  the  occupants.  When  rain  comes  on,  the 
man  puts  up  the  hood,  and  ties  you  and  it  closely  up  in 
a covering  of  oiled  paper,  in  which  you  are  invisible. 
At  night,  whether  running  or  standing  still,  they  carry 
prettily  painted  circular  paper  lanterns  18  inches  long. 
It  is  most  comical  to  see  stout,  florid,  solid-looking 
merchants,  missionaries,  male  and  female,  fashionably 
dressed  ladies,  armed  with  card  cases,  Chinese  compra- 
dores,  and  Japanese  peasant  men  and  women  flying  along 
Main  Street,  which  is  like  the  decent  respectable  High 
Street  of  a dozen  forgotten  country  towns  in  England, 
in  happy  unconsciousness  of  the  ludicrousness  of  their 
appearance ; racing,  chasing,  crossing  each  other,  their 
lean,  polite,  pleasant  runners  in  their  great  hats  shaped 
like  inverted  bowls,  their  incomprehensible  blue  tights, 
and  their  short  blue  overshirts  with  badges  or  charac- 
ters in  wlnte  upon  them,  tearing  along,  their  yellow 
faces  streaming  with  perspiration,  laughing,  shouting, 
and  avoiding  collisions  by  a mere  shave. 

After  a visit  to  the  Consulate  I entered  a kuruma 
and,  with  two  ladies  in  two  more,  was  bowled  along  at 


20 


UNBEATEN  TRACKS  IN  JAPAN. 


a furious  pace  by  a laughing  little  mannikin  down  Main 
Street,  a narrow,  solid,  Avell-paved  street  with  well-made 
side  walks,  kerb  stones,  and  gutters,  with  iron  lamp- 
posts,  gas  lamps,  and  foreign  shops  all  along  its  length, 
to  this  quiet  hotel  recommended  by  Sir  Wyville  Thom- 
son, which  offers  a refuge  from  the  nasal  twang  of  my 
fellow  voyagers  who  have  all  gone  to  the  caravanserais 
on  the  Bund.  The  host  is  a Frenchman,  but  he  relies 
on  a Chinaman ; the  servants  are  Japanese  “ boys  ” in 
Japanese  clothes;  and  there  is  a Japanese  “groom  of 
the  chambers  ” in  faultless  English  costume,  who  per- 
fectly appals  me  by  the  elaborate  politeness  of  his 
manner. 

Almost  as  soon  as  I arrived  I was  obliged  to  go  in 
search  of  Mr.  Fraser’s  office  in  the  settlement,  I say 
search.,  for  there  are  no  names  on  the  streets,  where 
there  are  numbers  they  have  no  sequence,  and  I met  no 
Europeans  on  foot  to  help  me  in  my  difficulty.  Yoko- 
hama does  not  improve  on  further  acquauitance.  It 
has  a dead-alive  look.  It  has  irregularity  without  pic- 
turesqueness, and  the  grey  sky,  grey  sea,  grey  houses, 
and  grey  roofs,  look  harmoniously  dull.  No  foreign 
money  except  the  Mexican  dollar  passes  in  Japan, 
and  Mr.  Fraser’s  compradore  soon  metamorphosed  my 
English  gold  into  Japanese  satsu  or  paper  money,  a 
bundle  of  yen  nearly  at  par  just  now  with  the  dollar, 
packets  of  50,  20,  and  10  sen  notes,  and  some  rou- 
leaux of  very  neat  copper  coins.  The  initiated  recog- 
nise the  different  denominations  of  paper  money  at  a 
glance  by  their  differing  coloirrs  and  sizes,  but  at 
present  they  are  a distracting  mystery  to  me.  The 
notes  are  pieces  of  stiff  paper  with  Chinese  char- 
acters at  the  corners,  near  which,  with  exceptionally 
good  eyes  or  a magnifying  glass,  one  can  discern  an 
English  word  denoting  the  value.  They  are  very  neatly 


DRAWBACKS  OF  TRAVELLING. 


21 


executed,  and  are  ornamented  with  the  chrysanthemum 
crest  of  the  Mikado  and  the  interlaced  dragons  of  the 
Empire. 

I long  to  get  away  into  real  Japan.  Mr.  Wilkinson, 
H.B.M.’s  acting  consul,  called  yesterday,  and  was  ex- 
tremely kind.  He  thinks  that  my  plan  for  travelling 
in  the  interior  is  rather  too  ambitious,  but  that  it  is 
perfectly  safe  for  a lady  to  travel  alone,  and  agrees  with 
every  body  else  in  thinking  that  legions  of  fleas  and 
the  miserable  horses  are  the  great  drawbacks  of  Japan- 
ese travelling.  1.  L.  B. 


22 


UNBEATEN  TRACKS  IN  JAPAN. 


THE  OLD  AND  THE  NEW. 

3ir  Harry  Parkes  — An  “Ambassador’s  Carriage” — Blurs  and 
Hieroglyphs  — Cart  Coolies  — A supposed  Concession  to  Foieign 
Opinion  — Eegulations. 

Yokohama,  May  22. 

To-day  has  been  spent  in  making  new  acquaintances, 
instituting  a search  for  a servant  and  a pony,  receiving 
many  offers  of  help,  asking  questions  and  receiving 
from  different  people  answers  which  directly  contradict 
each  other.  Hours  are  early.  Thirteen  people  called 
on  me  before  noon.  Ladies  drive  themselves  about  the 
town  in  small  pony  carriages  attended  by  running 
grooms  called  bettos.  The  foreign  merchants  keep  kur 
rumas  constantly  standing  at  their  doors,  finding  a will- 
ing, intelligent  coolie  much  more  serviceable  than  a 
lazy,  fractious,  capricious  Japanese  pony,  and  even  the 
dignity  of  an  “Ambassador  Extraordinary  and  IMmis- 
ter  Plenipotentiary  ” is  not  above  such  a lowly  convey- 
ance, as  I have  seen  to-day.  ]\Iy  last  %’isitors  were  Sir 
Harry  and  Lady  Parkes,  who  brought  sunshine  and  kind- 
liness into  the  room,  and  left  it  behind  them.  Sir  Harry 
is  a young-looking  man  scarcely  in  middle  life,  slight, 
active,  fair,  blue-eyed,  a thorough  Saxon,  with  sunny 
hair  and  a sunny  smile,  a sunsliiny  geniality  in  his  man- 
ner, and  bearing  no  trace  in  his  appearance  of  his  thirty 
years  of  service  in  the  East,  his  sufferings  in  the  prison 
at  Peking,  and  the  various  attempts  upon  his  life  in 
Japan.  He  and  Lady  Parkes  Avere  most  truly  kind, 


BLUns  ANB  HIEROGLYPHS. 


23 


and  encourage  me  so  heartily  in  my  largest  projects  foi 
travelling  in  the  interior,  that  I shall  start  as  soon  as  J 
have  secured  a servant.  When  they  went  away  they, 
jumped  into  kurumas,  and  it  was  most  amusing  to  see 
the  representative  of  England  hurried  down  the  street 
in  a perambulator  with  a tandem  of  coolies. 

I wiite  of  Sir  Harry  Parkes,  as  he  is  a public  (iharac- 
ter,  but  I can  only  allude  to  the  kindness  shown  to  me 
by  others  here,  and  to  the  way  in  which  several  people 
are  taking  a great  deal  of  trouble  to  facilitate  my  ar- 
rangements for  seeing  Japan.  Though  the  day  is  sun- 
shiny, I don’t  admire  Yokohama  any  more  than  at  first. 
It  is  dull  and  has  no  salient  points,  and  it  looks  as  if  it 
had  seen  busier  if  not  better  days ; but  already  the 
loneliness  of  a solitary  arrival  and  the  feeling  of  being 
a complete  stranger  have  vanished,  and  I am  suffering 
mainly  from  complete  mental  confusion,  owing  to  the 
rapidity  with  which  new  sights  and  ideas  are  crowding 
upon  me.  My  reading  of  books  on  Japan,  and  the  per- 
sistent pumping  of  my  Japanese  fellow-voyagers  for  the 
last  three  weeks,  might  nearly  as  well  have  been  omit- 
ted, for  the  country  presents  itself  to  me  as  a complete 
blur,  or  a page  covered  with  hieroglyphs  to  which  I 
have  no  key.  Well,  I have  months  to  spend  here,  and 
I must  begin  at  the  alphabet,  see  everything,  hear 
ever3Thing,  read  everything,  and  delay  forming  opin- 
ions as  long  as  possible. 

As  I look  out  of  the  window,  I see  heavy,  two- 
wheeled  man-carts  drawn  and  pushed  by  four  men  each, 
on  which  nearly  all  goods,  stones  for  building,  and  all 
else,  are  carried.  The  two  men  who  pull  press  with 
hands  and  thighs  against  a cross-bar  at  the  end  of  a 
heavy  pole,  and  the  two  who  push  ajiply  their  shoulders 
to  beams  which  project  behind,  using  their  thick, 
smoothljr  shaven  skulls  as  the  motive  power  when  they 


24 


UNBEATEN  TRACES  IN  JAPAN. 


push  their  heavy  loads  uphill.  Their  cry  is  impressive 
and  melancholy.  They  draw  incredible  loads,  but  as  if 
the  toil  which  often  makes  every  breath  a groan  or  a 
gasp  were  not  enough,  they  shout  incessantly  with  a 
coarse,  guttural  grunt,  something  like  Sa  huida,  llo 
huida,  wa  ho.,  Ha  huida,  etc.  The  inference  from  the 


JAPANESE  MAN-CABT. 


sight  is  that  human  labour  is  cheap  and  abundant. 
Government  has  made  nudity  a punishable  offence  in 
this  and  other  cities,  and  these  poor  cart  coolies  toD  in 
the  same  precarious  and  mconvenient  garment  that  the 
boatmen  wear.  My  inference  is,  that  the  compulsor} 
wearing  of  clothing  is  a concession  to  foreign  opinion. 
I may  be  wrong  m both  cases.  It  is  not  unwise  per- 
haps to  start  with  Professor  Griffis’s  dictum  that  “ the 
Government  is  Asiatic,  despotic,  and  idolatrous.” 


REGULATIONS  AND  NOTIFICATIONS. 


25 


first  impression  is  that  the  country  is  much  governed. 
One  comes  in  contact  with  “ regulations  ” on  landing  in 
the  fixed  tariff  for  sampans  and  kurumas.,  the  notifica- 
tions on  boards,  the  neat  policemen,  the  lanterns  on 
conveyances,  the  rejection  of  foreign  coin,  ihe  postal 
regulations,  and  many  others;  and  — must  I say  it?-- 
;n  the  absence  of  extortionate  demands!  I.  L.  B. 


UNBEATEN  TRACKS  IN  JAPAN 


26 


YEDO. 

Yedo  and  T^ikiyo  — The  Yokohama  Railroad  — The  Effect  of  Misfiti 
— The  Plain  of  Yedo  — Personal  Peculiarities — First  Impressioni 
of  T6kiy6  — H.B.M.’s  Legation  — An  English  Home. 

H.B.M.’s  Legation,  Yedo,  3Iay  24. 

I HAVE  dated  my  letter  Yedo,  according  to  the  usage 
of  the  British  Legation,  but  popularly  the  new  name  of 
T6kiy6,  or  Eastern  Capital,  is  used,  Kiyoto,  the  INIika- 
do’s  former  residence  having  received  the  name  of 
Saikid,  or  Western  Capital,  though  it  has  now  no  claim 
to  be  regarded  as  a capital  at  all.  Yedo  belongs  to  the 
old  rSgime  and  the  Shogunate,  Tokiyd  to  the  new 
regime  and  the  Restoration,  with  their  history  of  ten 
years.  It  would  seem  an  incongruity  to  travel  to  Yedo 
by  railway,  but  quite  proper  when  the  destination  is 
Tokiyd. 

The  journey  between  the  two  cities  is  performed  in 
an  hour  by  an  admirable,  well-metalled,  double  track 
railroad,  18  miles  long,  with  iron  bridges,  neat  stations, 
and  substantial  roomy  termini,  built  by  English  engi- 
neers at  a cost  known  only  to  Government,  and  opened 
by  the  Mikado  in  1872.  The  Yokohama  station  is  a 
handsome  and  suitable  stone  building,  with  a spacious 
approach,  ticket  offices  on  our  plan,  roomy  waiting- 
rooms  for  different  classes  — uncarpeted,  however,  in 
consideration  of  Japanese  clogs  — and  supplied  with 
the  daily  papers.  There  is  a de[)artment  for  the  weigh- 
ing and  labelling  of  luggage,  and  on  the  broad  covered 


RAILWAY  TRAVELLING. 


27 


stone  platform  at  both  termini,  a barrier  •with  turnstiles, 
through  which,  except  by  special  favour,  no  ticketless 
person  can  pass.  Except  the  ticket  clerks,  who  are 
Chinese,  and  the  guards  and  engine-diivers,  who  are 
English,  the  ofl&cials  are  Japanese  in  European  dress. 
Outside  the  stations,  instead  of  cabs,  there  are  kurumas., 
whi  zh  carry  luggage  as  well  as  people.  Only  luggage 
in  the  hand  is  allowed  to  go  free,  the  rest  is  weighed, 
numbered,  and  charged  for,  a corresponding  number 
being  given  to  its  owner  to  present  at  his  destination. 
The  fares  are,  3d  class,  an  ichibu,  or  about  Is. ; 2d  class, 
60  sen.,  or  about  2s.  4d. ; and  1st  class,  a yen,  or  about 
3s.  8d.  The  tickets  are  collected  as  the  passengers 
pass  through  the  barrier  at  the  end  of  the  journey. 
The  English-built  cars  differ  from  ours  in  having  seats 
along  the  sides,  and  doors  opening  on  platforms  at  both 
ends.  On  the  whole  the  arrangements  are  Continental 
rather  than  British.  The  first-class  cars  are  expensive- 
ly fitted  up  with  deeply  cushioned,  red  morocco  seats, 
but  carry  very  few  passengers,  and  the  comfortable 
seats,  covered  with  fine  matting,  of  the  2d  class  are 
very  scantily  occupied,  but  the  3d  class  vans  are 
crowded  with  Japanese,  who  have  taken  to  railroads  as 
readily  as  to  kurumas.  This  line  earns  about  f8,000,- 
000  a year. 

The  Japanese  look  most  diminutive  in  European 
dress.  Each  garment  is  a misfit,  and  exaggerates  the 
miserable  physique,  and  the  national  defects  of  concave 
chests  and  bow  legs.  The  lack  of  “ complexion  ” and 
of  hair  upon  the  face  makes  it  nearly  impossible  to 
judge  of  the  ages  of  men.  I supposed  that  all  the 
railroad  officials  were  striplings  of  17  or  18,  but  they 
are  men  from  25  to  40  years  old. 

It  was  a beautiful  day,  like  an  English  June  day,  but 
hotter,  and  though  the  Sakura  (wild  cherry)  and  its 


28 


UNBEATEN  TRACKS  IN  JAPAN. 


kin,  which  are  the  glory  of  the  Japanese  spring,  are 
over,  everything  is  a young,  fresh  green  yet,  and  in  all 
the  beauty  of  growth  and  luxuriance.  The  immediate 
neighbourhood  of  Yokohama  is  beautiful,  with  abrupt 
wooded  hills,  and  small  picturesque  valleys,  but  after 
passing  Kanagawa  the  railroad  enters  upon  the  immense 
plain  of  Yedo,  said  to  be  90  miles  from  north  to  south, 
on  whose  northern  and  western  boundaries  faint  blue 
mountains  of  great  height  hovered  dreamily  in  the  clue 
haze,  and  on  whose  eastern  shore  for  many  miles  the 
clear  blue  wavelets  of  the  Gulf  of  Yedo  ripple,  always 
as  then,  brightened  by  the  white  sails  of  innumerable 
fishing-boats.  On  this  fertile  and  fruitful  plain  stand 
not  only  the  capital  with  its  million  of  inhabitants,  but 
a number  of  populous  cities,  and  several  hundred  thriv- 
ing agricultural  villages.  Every  foot  of  land  which  can 
be  seen  from  the  railroad  is  cultivated  by  the  most  care- 
ful spade  husbandry,  and  much  of  it  is  irrigated  for 
rice.  Streams  abound,  and  villages  of  grey  wooden 
houses  with  grey  thatch,  and  grey  temples  with  strange- 
ly curved  roofs,  are  scattered  thickly  over  the  landscape. 
It  is  all  homelike,  liveable,  and  pretty,  the  country  of 
an  industrious  people,  for  not  a weed  is  to  be  seen,  but 
no  very  striking  features  or  peculiarities  arrest  one  at 
first  sight  unless  it  be  the  crowds  everywhere. 

You  don’t  take  your  ticket  for  Tokiy3,  but  for  Shi- 
uagawa  or  Shinbashi,  two  of  the  many  villages  which 
have  grown  together  into  the  capital.  Yedo  is  hardly 
seen  before  Shinagawa  is  reached,  for  it  has  no  smoke 
and  no  long  chimneys ; its  temples  and  public  buildings 
are  seldom  lofty ; the  former  are  often  concealed  among 
thick  trees,  and  its  ordinary  houses  seldom  reach  a 
height  of  20  feet.  On  the  right  a blue  sea  with  fortified 
islands  upon  it,  wooded  gardens  with  massive  retaining 
walls,  hundreds  of  fishing-boats  lying  in  creeks  or  drawn 


THE  BRITISH  LEGATION. 


29 


up  on  the  beach;  on  the  left  a broad  road  on  which 
kurumas  are  hurrying  both  ways,  rows  of  low,  grey 
houses,  mostly  tea-houses  and  shops,  and  as  I was  ask 
ing  “ Where  is  Yedo  ? ” the  train  came  to  rest  in  the 
terminus  — the  Shinbashi  railroad  station,  and  disgorged 
its  200  Japanese  passengers  with  a combined  ch  tter  of 
400  clogs  — a new  sound  to  me.  These  clogs  add  three 
inches  to  their  height,  but  even  with  them  few  of  the 
men  attained  5 feet  7 inches,  and  few  of  the  women  5 
feet  2 inches ; but  they  look  far  broader  in  the  national 
costume,  which  also  conceals  the  defects  of  their  figures. 
So  lean,  so  yellow,  so  ugly,  yet  so  pleasant-looking,  so 
wanting  in  colour  and  effectiveness  ; the  women  so  very 
small  and  tottering  in  their  walk ; the  children  so 
formal-looking  and  such  dignified  burlesques  on  the 
adults,  I feel  as  if  I had  seen  them  all  before,  so  like 
are  they  to  their  pictures  on  trays,  fans,  and  tea-pots. 
The  hair  of  the  women  is  all  drawn  away  from  their 
faces,  and  is  worn  in  chignons,  and  the  men,  when  they 
don’t  shave  the  front  of  their  heads  and  gather  their 
back  hair  into  a quaint  queue  drawn  forward  over  the 
shaven  patch,  wear  their  coarse  hair  about  three  inches 
long  in  a refractory  undivided  mop. 

Davis,  an  orderly  from  the  Legation,  met  me,  one  of 
the  escort  cut  down  and  severely  wounded  when  Sir  H. 
Parkes  was  attacked  in  the  street  of  Kiy6t3  in  March 
1868  on  his  way  to  his  first  audience  of  the  Mikado. 
Hundreds  of  hurumas.,  and  covered  carts  with  four 
wheels  drawn  by  one  miserable  horse,  which  are  the 
omnibuses  of  certain  districts  of  T8kiy6,  were  waiting 
outside  the  station,  and  an  English  brougham  for  me, 
with  a running  betto.  The  Legation  stands  in  K6ji- 
machi  on  very  elevated  ground  above  the  inner  moat  of 
the  historic  “ Castle  of  Yedo,”  but  I cannot  tell  you 
anything  of  what  I saw  on  my  way  thither,  except  that 


30 


UNBEATEN  TRACKS  IN  JAPAN. 


there  were  miles  of  dark,  silent,  barrack-like  buildings, 
with  highly  ornamental  gateways,  and  long  rows  ol 
projecting  windows  with  screens  made  of  reeds  — the 
feudal  mansions  of  Yedo  — and  miles  of  moats  with 
lofty  grass  embankments  or  walls  of  massive  masonry 
60  feet  high,  with  kiosk-like  towers  at  the  corners,  and 
curious,  roofed  gateways,  and  many  bridges,  and  acres 
of  lotus  leaves.  Turnmg  along  the  inner  moat,  up  a 
steep  slope,  there  are,  on  the  right,  its  deep  green 
waters,  the  great  grass  embankment  smmounted  by  a 
dismal  wall  overhung  by  the  branches  of  coniferous 
trees  which  surrounded  the  palace  of  the  Shogun,  and 
on  the  left  sundry  yashikis.,  as  the  mansions  of  the 
daimiyo  were  called,  now  in  this  quarter  mostly  turned 
into  hospitals,  barracks,  and  Government  offices.  On  a 
height,  the  most  conspicuous  of  them  all,  is  the  gi-eat 
red  gateway  of  the  yashiki,  now  occupied  by  the  French 
Military  Mission,  formerly  the  residence  of  li  Kamon 
no  Kami,  one  of  the  great  actors  in  recent  liistoric 
events,  who  was  assassinated  not  far  off,  outside  the 
Sakaruda  gate  of  the  castle.  Besides  these,  barracks, 
parade  grounds,  policemen,  kurumas,  carts  pulled  and 
pushed  by  coolies,  pack-horses  in  straw  sandals,  and 
dwarfish,  slatternly-looking  soldiers  in  European  di-ess 
made  up  the  TokiyS  that  I saw  between  Shinbaslii  and 
the  Legation. 

H.B.M.’s  Legation  has  a good  situation  near  the  For- 
eign Office,  several  of  the  Government  departments, 
and  the  residences  of  the  ministers,  which  are  chiefly 
of  brick  in  the  English  suburban  villa  style.  Within 
the  compound,  with  a brick  archway  with  the  Royal 
A.rms  upon  it  for  an  entrance,  are  the  Minister’s  resi- 
dence, the  Ghancery,  two  houses  for  the  two  English 
Secretaries  of  Legation,  and  quarters  for  the  escort. 

It  is  an  English  house  and  an  English  home,  thouglr 


UIVIL  SERVICE  SCHOLARSHIP. 


31 


with  the  exception  of  a venerable  nurse,  there  are  no 
English  servants.  The  butler  and  footman  are  tall 
Chinamen,  with  long  pig-tails,  black  satin  caps,  and  long 
blue  robes ; the  cook  is  a Chinaman,  and  the  other  ser- 
vants are  all  Japanese,  including  one  female  servant,  a 
sweet,  gentle,  kindly  girl  about  4 feet  5 in  height,  the 
wife  of  the  head  “ housemaid.”  None  of  the  servants 
speak  anything  but  the  most  aggravating  “ pidgun  ” 
English,  but  their  deficient  speech  is  more  than  made 
up  for  by  the  intelligence  and  service  of  the  orderly  in 
waiting,  who  is  rarely  absent  from  the  neighbourhood 
of  the  hall  door,  and  attends  to  the  visitors’  book  and 
to  all  messages  and  notes.  There  are  two  real  English 
children  of  six  and  seven,  with  great  capacities  for  such 
innocent  enjoyments  as  can  be  found  within  the  limits 
of  the  nursery  and  garden.  The  other  inmate  of  the 
house  is  a beautiful  and  attractive  terrier  called  “ Rags,” 
a Skye  dog,  who  unbends  “ in  the  bosom  of  his  family,” 
but  ordinarily  is  as  imposing  in  his  demeanour  as  if  he, 
and  not  his  master,  represented  the  dignity  of  the  Brit- 
ish Empire. 

The  Japanese  Secretary  of  Legation  is  Mr.  Ernest 
Satow,  whose  reputation  for  scholarship,  specially  in 
the  department  of  history,  is  said  by  the  Japanese 
themselves  to  be  the  highest  in  Japan  ^ — an  honour- 
able distinction  for  an  Englishman,  and  won  by  the 
persevering  industry  of  fifteen  years.  The  scholarship 
connected  with  the  British  Civil  Service  is  not,  how- 
ever, monopolised  by  Mr.  Satow,  for  several  gentlemen 
in  the  consular  service,  who  are  passing  through  the 
various  grades  of  student  interpreters,  are  distinguish- 
ing themselves  not  alone  by  their  facility  in  colloquial 

1 Often  in  the  later  months  of  my  residence  in  Japan,  when  I asked 
educated  Japanese  questions  concerning  their  history,  religions,  oi 
ancient  customs,  I was  put  off  with  the  answer,  “You  should  ask  Mr 
Satow,  he  could  tell  you.” 


82 


UNBEATEN  TRACKS  IN  JAPAN. 


Japanese,  but  by  their  researches  in  various  depart- 
ments of  Japanese  history,  mythology,  archaeology, 
and  literature.  Indeed  it  is  to  their  labours,  and  to 
those  of  a few  other  Englishmen  and  Germans,  that 
the  Japanese  of  the  rising  generation  will  be  indebted 
for  keeping  alive  not  only  the  knowledge  of  theii 
archaic  literature,  but  even  of  the  manners  and  cus 
toms  of  the  £rst  half  of  this  century.  I.  L.  B. 


LIFELESS  HEAT. 


33 


CUSTOMS  AND  DRESS. 

Lifeleso  Heat  — Street  Sights  in  Tokiyo  — The  Foreign  Concession 
— The  Missionary  Quarter  — Architectural  Vulgarities  — The  Im 
perial  Gardens  — Costume  and  Behaviour  — Female  Inelegance 

H.B.M.’s  Lbgatiok,  Ysno,  May  27. 

So  far  I am  not  much  pleased  with  the  climate. 
There  is  no  elasticity  in  the  air.  It  has  been  warm 
and  damp  ever  since  I came,  with  a sky  either  covered 
with  masses  of  clouds  or  suffused  with  a grey  mist. 
Friday  was  admitted  by  everybody  to  be  a wretched 
day,  with  lifeless  heat  and  a continuous  drizzle. 

In  the  afternoon  I drove  to  the  Foreign  Concession 
to  pay  some  visits.  We  passed  miles  of  yashikis  and 
enclosed  vacant  spaces,  where  yashikis  once  were ; 
crossed  rivers,  moats,  and  canals ; saw  hundreds  oi 
boats  with  thatched  roofs  lying  on  water  or  mud,  smelt 
villanous  smells  from  crowded  canals  and  open  black 
drains ; saw  coolies  in  umbrella  hats  and  straw  rain 
cloaks,  and  all  the  world  carrying  paper  umbrellas ; 
saw  a street,  a hive  of  busy,  crowded  industries,  the 
lower  front  of  each  house  a shop,  whose  novel  and 
ingenious  wares  amazed  me ; saw  women  with  bright 
complexions,  shining  hair,  shaven  eyebrows  and  black- 
ened teeth,  clattering  and  tottering  on  high  clogs ; saw 
kurumas  with  their  passengers  completely  hidden  by 
envelopes  of  yellow  oiled  paper ; — but  saw  never  a 
horse  or  horse-carriage ! 

Tsukiji  (“  filled-up  land  ”)  is  the  Concession  in  which 


84 


UNBEATEN  TRACKS  IN  JAPAN. 


alone  foreigners  may  live  who  are  not  in  Japanese 
employment.  The  land  is  raised  upon  a fine  embank- 
ment facing  the  gulf  near  the  entrance  of  the  Sumida 
River,  and  is  elsewhere  moated  in  by  canals  crossed  by 
several  bridges.  As  a place  for  foreign  trade  Tokiyfi 
has  proved  a complete  failure.  There  are  very  few 
foreign  merchants,  and  the  foreign  hotels  are  insignifi- 
cant and  little  patronised.  The  U.S.  Legation  still 
clings  to  Tsukiji,  though  the  ministers  of  the  othei 
great  powers  all  live  inside  the  moats  in  the  neighbour- 
hood of  the  Government  offices.  The  roads  are  broad 
and  neatly  kept,  but  the  aspect  of  the  Concession  is 
dull  and  desolate,  and  people  live  near  enough  to 
each  other  to  be  hourly  fretted  by  the  sight  of  each 
other’s  dreary  doings. 

There  is  a complete  nest  of  Missionary  Church  edi- 
fices, a wonderful  testimony  to  the  shattered  unity  of 
the  Christian  Church,  and  the  number  of  houses  occu- 
pied by  missionaries  is  very  large.  It  must  be  painful 
to  them  to  be  compelled  to  huddle  together  in  this 
narrow  locality.  Besides  their  houses  and  churches 
they  have  several  boarding-schools  for  girls,  and  a 
Union  Theological  College,  supported  jointly  by  the 
American  Presbyterian,  Reformed  Presbyterian,  and 
Scotch  United  Presbyterian  bodies.  This  last  body 
has  five  missionaries  here,  one  of  whom.  Dr.  Faulds,  a 
medical  missionary,  has  opened  a small  hospital.  The 
S.P.G.  Society  has  four  missionaries  here,  the  C.M.S. 
only  one,  and  the  Canadian  INlethodists  one.  Most 
of  them  meet  montldy  in  a united  conference.  The 
Young  Men’s  Christian  Association  has  lately  opened 
rooms  in  Tsukiji,  with  more  than  the  usual  attrac- 
tions. 

At  the  C.M.S.  house  I met  Mr.  Fysou  from  Niigata 
on  the  Sea  of  Japan,  and  Mr.  Dening  from  Hakodate 


ARCHITECTURAL  VULGARITIES. 


35 


in  Yezo,  with  their  respective  wives,  who  were  very 
kind,  and  asked  me  to  visit  them.  We  talked  over  the 
pros  and  cons  of  my  proposed  journey,  some  thinking 
it  impracticable,  others  encouraging  it.  The  special 
points  discussed  were  “the  Food  Question,”  which  ia 
yet  unsolved,  and  whether  it  is  best  to  buy  a pony  or 
trust  to  pack-horses. 

Everything  looked  as  dull  and  dismal  as  wide,  de- 
serted streets,  a dead  level,  and  a warm  drizzle  could 
make  it.  I am  much  astonished  by  the  aggressions 
made  here  by  western  architectural  ideas.  Yedo  is 
chiefly  represented  by  the  grandeur  of  the  castle  walls, 
banks,  and  moats,  the  pashikis,  many  of  which  are 
showing  signs  of  unarrested  decay,  and  the  crowded 
streets  of  warehouses  and  wholesale  produce  merchants 
in  the  neighbourhood  of  the  Nihon  Bashi,  the  bridge 
from  which  all  the  distances  in  Japan  are  said  to  be 
measured.  Tukiyd  and  the  new  regime  are  architec- 
turally represented  by  the  ministerial  villas  of  stone- 
faced  brick,  with  red  brick  garden  walls,  the  Engineer- 
ing College,  really  solid  and  handsome,  and  a number 
of  barracks,  departments,  police  stations,  colleges,  and 
schools,  in  a debased  Europeanised  or  Americanised 
style,  built  of  wood,  painted  white,  with  a superabun- 
dance of  oblong  glass  windows,  and  usually  without 
verandahs,  looking  like  inferior  warehouses,  or  taverns 
in  the  outskirts  of  San  Francisco,  as  vulgar  and  dis- 
mally ugly  as  they  can  be,  and  more  like  confectionery 
than  building.  It  is  certainly  not  under  the  advice  of 
Mr.  Chastel  de  Boinville,  the  architect  of  the  Engineer- 
ing College,  that  the  Government  has  thus  vulgarised 
the  new  capital,  making  parts  of  it,  except  for  the 
clean,  smooth  roads,  to  look  more  like  the  outskirts  of 
Chicago  or  Melbourne  than  an  Oriental  city. 

Sir  H.  and  Lady  Parkes  enter  into  my  travelling 


36 


UNBEATEN  TRACKS  IN  JAPAN. 


plans  with  much  zest  and  kindness,  offering  the  practi- 
cal advice  and  help  which  their  extensive  travelling 
experience  suggests,  and  not  interposing  any  obstacles. 
Indeed,  Sir  H.  not  only  approves  of  my  plan  of  travel- 
ling northwards  through  the  interior,  but  suggests 
some  additions.  I only  hope  the  actual  journey  may 
be  as  pleasant  as  planning  it  on  the  map  has  been. 
Sir  Harry  advises  me  not  to  buy  a pony,  as  it  would 
fall  sick  for  want  of  proper  food,  lose  its  shoes,  and 
involve  an  additional  plague  in  the  shape  of  a betto. 

May  29.  — The  weather  is  once  more  fine,  with  the 
mercury  a little  over  70°,  and  taking  advantage  of  it, 
we  walked  in  the  Fukiagd  Gardens,  private  pleasure- 
grounds  of  the  Mikado,  wliich  in  these  new  days  are 
open  by  ticket  to  the  public  every  Saturday.  They  are 
a noble  specimen  of  the  perfection  to  which  the  Japan- 
ese have  brought  the  art  of  landscape-gardening.  The 
park,  for  such  it  is,  is  so  beautifully  laid  out,  and  the 
inequalities  of  the  ground  are  so  artistically  taken  ad- 
vantage of,  that  in  one  or  two  places  the  effect  of  moun- 
tain scenery  is  almost  produced.  The  trees  are  most 
tastefully  grouped  and  contrasted,  the  feathery,  light 
green  bamboo  being  always  massed  against  a dark  back- 
ground of  coniferae,  while  huge  deciduous  trees  with 
heavy,  pendant  foliage,  and  shrubs  and  ferns  at  their 
feet,  have  been  chosen  to  shade  and  droop  over  the 
winding  walks.  The  broad  lawns  are  smooth  shaven, 
and  the  gravel  walks  are  as  absolutely  faultless  as  those 
at  Kew.  Below  a very  pretty  cascade  there  is  a small 
lake  surrounded  by  trees  of  great  size  and  beauty,  and 
on  its  bank  a carpeted  glass  pavilion,  in  wliich,  after 
much  diplomacy,  the  Milmdo  consented  to  receive  the 
Duke  of  Edinburgh,  and  for  the  first  time  to  recognise 
a fellow  mortal  as  of  royal  rank.  This  park  is  in  the 
heart  of  the  Castle  enclosure,  and  its  associations  are  all 


DRl'JSS  AND  FASHION. 


37 


with  the  Sh6gunate.  Here  former  ruleis,  unseen  of 
their  people,  took  their  dreary  exercise,  and  minute  rep- 
resentations of  the  Empire  which  they  had  never  seen 
were  created  — a toy-farm,  for  instance,  toy  padi  fields, 
and  other  toy  industries. 

What  a contrast ! Instead  of  the  mysterious  state  of 
the  Shogun  and  the  glitter  of  the  daimiyds  trains,  there 
were  thousands  of  gentle  courteous  people  of  the  lower 
orders  enjoying  the  bright  afternoon  in  their  national 
costume,  which,  except  in  the  case  of  children  and  very 
yoimg  girls,  rarely  emancipates  itself  from  the  bonds  of 
dull  blues,  greys,  and  browns,  harmonious  but  ineffec- 
tive. The  basis  of  this  costume  for  both  sexes  consists 
of  the  kimono.,  a very  scanty  dressing-gown,  made  of 
several  straight  widths  of  cotton  or  silk,  15  inches  wide, 
without  gores  or  shoulder  seams,  but  hollowed  out  at 
the  neck,  which  it  exposes  freely.  The  “ armholes  ” are 
merely  long  openings  in  the  seams,  and  the  sleeve  — 
a most  important  part  of  the  dress,  which  plays  a very 
leading  part  in  the  classical  dances  and  in  romantic 
poetry  — is  simply  a width  of  the  same  stuff  from  3 
feet  to  10  feet  long,  doubled,  joined,  and  attached  to  a 
portion  of  the  armhole.  The  sleeve  often  hangs  down 
nearly  to  the  ground,  and  women  at  their  work  put  on 
an  arrangement  of  braces  called  tasuki  for  binding  these 
long  bags  under  their  armpits.  I call  them  bags,  for 
the  sides  are  sewn  up  from  the  lower  end  to  a short  dis  • 
tance  below  the  arms,  and  are  used  for  stowing  away  aU 
sorts  of  things.  Certain  charms  and  “ pocket  ” idols  are 
carried  in  the  sleeve,  and  food,  and  the  paper  squares 
used  for  pocket  handkerchiefs,  wliich  when  new  are  car- 
ried in  the  girdles,  after  being  used  once,  are  dropped 
into  the  sleeve,  until  an  opportunity  occurs  for  throwing 
them  away  out  of  doors.  The  sleeve  is  used  invariably 
foi  wiping  away  tears,  and  is  mentioned  frequently  in 


38 


UNBEATEN  TRACKS  IN  JAPAN. 


very  ancient  poetry,  as  in  an  ode  translated  by  VIr.  F 
V.  Dickens,  which  is  not  less  than  600  years  old. 

“ When  last  each  other  we  embraced, 

A solemn  vow  of  faith  we  swore, 

And  sealed  it  with  the  tears  that  chased 
Adown  our  cheeks,  our  drenched  sleeves  o’er.” 

B ut  it  is  possible  to  grow  prosy  over  sleeves,  so  I will 
only  add  that  it  is  only  women  and  children  who  have 
a prescriptive  right  to  folly,  who  wear  them  so  long  as 
nearly  to  touch  the  ground. 

The  kimono  has  no  “ fit,”  and  slouches  over  the  shoul- 
ders. It  is  folded  over  in  front  by  the  men  fi'om  left  to 
right,  and  by  the  women  from  right  to  left,  and  is  con- 
fined at  the  waist  by  a girdle  or  obi.  In  the  case  of  men 
this  is  the  width  of  a hand,  and  in  that  of  women  it  is 
a foot  wide  and  ten  feet  long.  It  is  passed  twice  round 
the  waist,  and  tied  behind  in  an  enormous  bow,  some- 
times with  two  ends,  sometimes  with  one  ; but  the  fash- 
ion here  is  to  stiffen  it  and  make  the  bow  lengthwise  and 
fasten  it  up  between  the  shoulders,  when  it  looks  like  a 
pillow-slip.  It  is  the  most  important  article  of  a woman’s 
dress.  No  woman,  or  girl  child  is  ever  seen  out  of 
doors  without  it,  and  the  art  of  tying  it  is  one  of  the 
most  important  parts  of  a girl’s  education.  It  fre- 
quently costs  more  than  the  whole  of  the  dress.  Wo- 
men carry  handkerchiefs,  charms,  and  many  other  things 
in  its  broad  folds,  and  men  attach  their  purses,  smoking 
apparatus,  fan,  and  portable  pen  and  ink  to  it.  The 
great  size  of  the  bow  at  the  back,  and  the  tightness 
with  which  the  scanty  kimono  is  drawn  forwards,  makes 
everj^  woman  look  as  if  she  stooped.  A haori  or  short 
upper  garment,  of  exactly  the  same  make,  but  loose, 
and  only  clasped  over  the  chest  by  a ;ord,  is  often  worn 
by  both  sexes  over  the  kimono.  The  front  of  the  kivw 


BBESS  AND  FASHION. 


39 


no  is  wide  and  loose,  and  is  used  as  a receptacle  for  manj 
things.  Men  sometimes  carry  their  children  tucked 
within  the  fronts  of  their  dresses,  and  I have  seen  as 
many  as  seven  books  and  a map  taken  out  of  the  same 
capacious  reservoir.  Many  of  the  younger  men  now 
wear  hakama,  or  full  petticoat  trousers  (formerly  only 
worn  by  the  Samurai),  drawn  over  the  kimono  with  the 
haori  outside,  but  so  far  as  the  usual  dress  of  the  lower 
classes  is  concerned,  it  is  only  by  the  ohi  and  the  hair 
that  you  can  tell  a man  from  a woman.  Foot  mittens 
of  white  cloth,  with  a separate  place  for  the  great  toe, 
are  worn,  and  make  the  naturally  small  feet  look  big 
and  awkward.  It  is  very  aristocratic  for  women  to 
walk  with  an  infirm  gait,  turning  the  feet  inwards. 
The  foot-gear  out  of  doors  consists  of  verj^  high  clogs 
made  of  the  light  wood  of  the  Paulownia  Imperialism 
kept  on  by  a leather  thong  which  passes  between  the 
great  toe  and  the  others.  These  encumbrances  increase 
the  natural  awkwardness  of  the  Japanese  gait,  as  the 
foot  cannot  be  raised  in  walking.  Hats  are  not  worn 
by  either  sex,  but  the  female  hair  is  most  elaborately 
dressed  in  chignons  and  bows,  and  is  carefully  drawn 
back  from  the  face.  A great  many  of  the  men  wear 
their  badge  or  crest,  stamped  in  wliite,  upon  their  haoris. 
No  jewellery  is  worn,  one  or  two  pins  in  the  hair  being 
the  only  ornaments. 

There  were  hundreds  of  children,  dressed  exactly 
like  their  parents,  except  that  for  them,  as  for  young 
girls,  touches  of  scarlet  are  admissible.  Boys  begin  to 
wear  the  obi  at  three  years  old,  girls,  in  their  cradles,  I 
should  think.  Little,  solemn,  old-fashioned  bundles 
thej’’  locked,  the  boys  with  their  heads  shaven,  except 
for  tufts  of  hair  over  the  brow  and  each  ear,  creatures 
to  whom  one  would  never  venture  to  talk  child’s  talk  oi 
seduce  into  a romp. 


40 


UNBEATEN  TRACKS  IN  JAPAN. 


The  female  dress  is  surely  not  graceful,  tumbliug  off 
at  the  shoulders,  as  tightly  dragged  round  the  hips  as 
the  most  inconvenient  of  English  dresses,  though  to 
front  not  the  back,  so  narrow  as  to  impede  locomo- 
tion, and  too  long  for  muddy  weather.  Tottering  with 
turned-in  feet  on  high  wooden  clogs,  with  limbs  so 
tightly  swathed  that  only  the  shortest  steps  are  possible, 
a heavy  chignon  on  the  head,  and  the  monstrous  bow  of 
the  ohi  giving  the  top-heavy  wearer  the  appearance  of 
tumbling  forward,  the  diminutive  Japanese  women  look 
truly  helpless.  We  have  given  Japan  radroads,  tele- 
graphs, ironclads,  and  many  other  things ; have  we  bor- 
rowed from  her  the  “ Grecian  bend,”  the  tied-back, 
sheath-like  dresses,  the  restricting  skirts,  and  the  totter- 
ing walk  ? 

The  women  never  walked  with  the  men,  but  in  groups 
by  themselves,  with  their  children,  and  often  carried 
their  babies  “ pick-a-back.”  The  men  also  walked  Avith 
and  carried  cliildren,  but  there  were  no  famil}’’  groups. 
Though  the  women  wear  nothing  on  their  heads,  there 
is  a gentle  modesty  and  womanliness  about  their  faces 
which  is  pleasing.  All  looked  happy,  but  there  was 
nothing  like  frolic,  and  the  quiet,  courteous  behaviour 
contrasted  remarkably  with  that  of  a Saturday  afternoon 
crowd  at  home.  There  must  be  a reliable  habit  of  good 
behaviour  among  the  masses,  for  there  was  not  a police- 
man in  the  Gardens ; and  there  must  be  enough  of  them 
and  to  spare,  for  nearly  6000  are  stationed  in  TokiyO. 

Though  foreigners  are  so  common  here,  we  were  re- 
garded as  interesting  or  diverting  objects,  and  while  Sir 
Harry  with  great  animation  was  recalling  some  diplo- 
matic experiences,  a crowd  grouped  itself  about  us, 
staring  vacantly  with  great  black  eyes,  and  with  open 
mouths  showing  blackened  teeth,  but  so  courteously 
that  one  could  not  feel  being  stared  at.  In  going  out 


THE  CHINESE  MINISTERS. 


41 


we  met  the  Chinese  ministers,  big,  fat,  over-ciothed,  and 
ungainly,  in  violet  brocade  robes  over  primrose  brocade 
skirts,  with  two  much  conventionalised  boys.  When  I 
was  presented  they  bowed  nearly  to  the  eaith,  and  then, 
by  a strange  incongruity,  shook  hands.  I.  L.  B. 


42 


UNBEATEN  TRACKS  IN  JAVAN. 


TEMPLES. 

Narrow  (Irooves — Topics  of  Talk  — A Pair  of  Ponies  — The  Shrlrei 
of  Shiba — “ Afternoon  Tea  ” — The  English  Church. 

H.B.M.’s  Legation,  Ysno. 

Foeeign  life  in  T6kiy6  is  much  like  life  at  home, 
except  that  it  has  fewer  objects  and  less  variety,  and 
except  in  a small  clique  of  scholars  and  savans  talk  runs 
in  somewhat  narrow  grooves.  Except  the  members  of 
the  legations,  and  the  missionaries,  most  of  the  foreign- 
ers here  are  in  the  employment  of  the  Japanese  Gov- 
ernment, and  their  engagements  are  for  terms  of  years. 
It  is  no  part  of  the  plan  of  the  able  men  who  lead  the 
new  Japanese  movement  to  keep  up  a permanent  foreign 
staff.  To  get  all  they  can  out  of  foreigners,  and  then 
to  dispense  with  their  services  is  their  idea.  The  tele- 
graph department  has  passed  out  of  foreign  leading- 
strings  this  week,  and  other  departments  will  follow  as 
soon  as  possible. 

The  Naval  College  has  English  instructors,  the  Medi- 
cal College  is  under  the  charge  of  Germans,  the  Impe- 
rial University  has  English-speaking  teachers,  the  En- 
gineering College  has  a British  Principal,  assisted  by  a 
large  British  staff,  and  a French  IMilitary  Commission 
teaches  European  drill  and  tactics  to  the  army.  The 
changes  in  the  teaching  staff  are  frequent,  and  people 
talk  not  only  of  actual  but  possible  changes,  whose 
engagement  expires  next  month  or  next  year,  the  proba- 
bilities of  its  renewal,  the  reduced  salary  on  which  Mr 


AN  “AFTERNOON  TEA.” 


43 


is  remaining,  the  certainty  that  Mr. ’s  engage- 
ment will  not  be  renewed,  and  guess  what  he  will  dc 
with  himself  and  what  sum  he  has  saved ; whether  Mr. 

’s  salary  is  paid  in  satsu  or  coin,  and  the  present 

discount  on  satsu.  One  happiness  of  being  at  the  Lega- 
tion is  that  gossip  is  utterly  discouraged,  and  that  one 
is  not  subjected  to  wearisome  and  profitless  talk.  If  I 
cannot  enter  into  the  discussions  on  the  actual  fate  of 
Yoshitsund,  or  the  mysterious  meaning  of  the  tomoye., 
there  is  a satisfaction  in  hearing  the  learned  sough  about 
my  ears. 

“ Afternoon  teas  ” have  reached  T6kiyo,  and  Lady 
Parkes  took  me  to  one  at  the  house  of  Mr.  Hawes,  one 
of  the  teachers  at  the  Naval  College.  Lady  P.  drove  a 
pair  of  chestnut  ponies  of  perfect  beauty,  fiery  creatures, 
much  given  to  belligerent  and  other  erratic  proceedings, 
and  apparently  only  kept  from  running  away  by  skilful 
restraint.  The  inspector  of  the  escort  rode  in  front,  but 
only  to  show  us  the  way,  for  Yedo,  which  lately  swarmed 
with  foreigner-hating,  two-sworded  bravos,  the  retainers 
of  the  daimiyo.,  is  now  so  safe  that  a foreign  lady  can 
drive  through  its  loneliest  or  most  crowded  parts  with- 
out any  other  attendant  than  a hetto.  There  are  no 
side  walks,  and  the  people  are  so  unused  to  such  flying 
vehicles  as  Lady  Parkes’s  phaeton,  that  only  the  alarm- 
ing yells  of  the  hetto  who  ran  in  front  secured  a narrow 
-ane  for  our  progress. 

Passing  through  the  mean,  bewildering  streets  of 
T6kiy8,  we  drove  through  a gateway  into  a region  where 
forest  trees  make  a solemn  shade,  and  the  hum  of  the 
city  is  unheard,  a region  of  countless  temples  and 
temple-courts,  and  stately  tombs  where  six  of  the  Sh6- 
guns  “•  lie  in  glory,  every  one  in  his  own  hoiise.” 
Grandly  roofed  red  portals,  arabesques  in  gold  and 
colour,  coloured  cloisters  in  which  no  footfall  is  ever 


44 


UNBEATEN  TRACKS  IN  JAPAN. 


lieard,  groves  and  avenues  of  magnificent  cryptomeria, 
cool  in  summer  and  green  in  winter,  falling  water, 
blossoming  shrubs,  marvels  of  Japanese  art  in  lacquer 
and  bronze,  and  a hush  as  of  death,  make  Shiba  the 
most  solemn  and  fascinating  resort  to  which  one  can 
betake  one’s  self.  Formerly  hundreds  of  priests  lived 
wthir.  the  enclosure,  and  their  houses  and  the  guest- 
.liambers  for  visitors  and  pilgrims  constituted  almost 
a town  by  themselves,  but  the  “ old  order  ” has  changed, 
the  bare  Shintd  faith  has  displaced  the  highly  decorated 
ceremonial  of  Buddhism,  the  priests  are  dispersed ; an 
English  Episcopal  Service  is  held  in  one  of  the  small 
temples,  and  the  Government  has  allotted  priest  and 
pilgrim  liouses,  temples  and  colleges,  as  residences  to 
the  foreigners  in  its  service. 

Thus  only  our  “ afternoon  tea  ” deserves  mention,  for 
our  host  lives  in  the  house  of  the  priest  of  a small  Fox 
temple ; there  is  a small  shrine  in  his  garden,  and  the 
priest  brings  offerings  of  food  every  morning  to  two 
foxes  or  badgers  which  live  underneath  it.  The  house, 
an  irregular  wooden  one,  with  deep  eaves  forming  the 
verandah,  looks  like  a doll’s  house,  not  fit  to  bear  the 
tread  of  heavy  men.  By  means  of  grooves  in  the  floor 
with  sliding  partitions  of  lacquer  and  paper,  it  can  be 
transformed  in  two  minutes  from  a house  with  one  or 
two  large  rooms,  into  a house  with  five  or  six  small 
ones.  The  floor  is  laid  with  what,  if  they  were  upright, 
we  should  call  panels  of  matting,  very  white  and  fine. 
All  foreigners’  houses  here  are  turned  to  some  extent 
into  museums  of  Japanese  objects  of  “bigotry  and 
V'irtue,”  which  furnish  both  the  rooms  and  topics  for 
talk.  The  forms  and  colours,  and  even  the  marerials, 
differ  so  widely  from  those  used  in  the  West  that  it 
must  require  a prolonged  education  of  the  eye  for  the 
appreciation  of  many  of  them.  Some  which  are 


TEMPLE  SEE  VICE  IN  8HIBA.  4£ 

treasured  I think  decidedly  ugly,  others  take  me  by  storm 
at  once  ; but  I rebel  against  being  coerced  into  admira- 
tion of  a work  of  art  because  it  is  old,  or  because  it  is 
Japanese,  and  I shall  not  buy  anything  till  I have  been 
in  Japan  six  months,  and  certainly  shall  not  take  home  a 
thousand  teapots,  as  an  English  lady  curio-hunter  is  doing ! 

Lieut.  Hawes  gave  us  some  strawberries,  which  have 
lately  been  introduced,  and  they  had  a good  flavour,  but 
people  think  they  will  soon  lose  it,  as  other  exotic  fruits 
have  done  before  them.  A day  or  two  ago  we  had  some 
fully  ripe  strawberries  of  a pale  pea-green  colour,  with 
a strong  odour  and  flavour,  not  of  strawberries,  but  of 
the  Catawba  grape ! 

“ And  the  next  day  was  the  Sabbath.”  This  is  a 
word  which  of  course  has  no  meaning  here,  so  it  was 
through  streets  of  unresting  industries  that  we  drove  to 
the  quiet  groves  of  Shiba,  to  the  small  temple  in  which 
liturgical  worship  is  held,  where  a simple  communion- 
table has  taken  the  place  of  the  altar  and  the  shrine  of 
Buddha,  and  a few  seats  on  the  matted  floor  accommo- 
date the  scanty  congregation.  The  temple  is  open  on 
one  side  to  a wooded  creek  in  which  the  blue  iris  and 
lotus  are  growing  abundantly.  Birds,  if  they  did  not 
sing,  chirped  in  the  trees,  and  hundreds  of  iridescent 
flies,  blue  and  scarlet  dragon-flies,  and  butterflies  with 
black  and  gold  wings,  rejoiced  over  the  water  'u  the 
bright  May  sunshine.  It  is  not  wonderful  that  the  lotus 
flower  and  leaf  should  have  been  taken  as  sacred  em- 
blems, they  seem  so  naturally  to  belong  to  religious  use. 
At  this  time  the  castle  moats  and  the  temple  ponds  are 
covered  with  their  grand,  peltate,  blue-green  leaves, 
gemmed  with  spheres  of  dew. 

“ The  lotus  blooms  round  every  azure  creek,” 
but  nobody  knows  anything  about  “ the  yeliow  lotus 
dust!”  I L.  B. 


46 


UNBEATEN  TBACKS  IN  JAPAN 


CHINESE  AND  SERVANTS. 

Dr.  Hepbam  — The  Yokohama  Bluff  — “John  Chinan  an”  — Chi- 
nese Compradores  — Engaging  a Servant  — First  Impressions  ol 
Ito  — A Solemn  Contract — The  Food  Question. 

H.B.M.’s  Legation,  Yedo,  June  7. 

I WENT  to  Yokohama  for  a week  to  visit  Dr.  aiid  Mrs. 
Hepburn  on  the  Bluff.  Bishop  and  Mrs.  Birrdon  of 
Hon^  Kong  were  also  guests,  and  it  was  very  pleasant. 
Dr.  Hepburn  is  about  the  oldest  foreign  resident,  hav- 
ing been  here  nineteen  years.  He  came  in  the  strange 
days  of  the  old  rigime  as  a medical  missionary,  and, 
before  the  Japanese  opened  hospitals  and  dispensaries 
with  qualified  medical  attendance,  he  received  as  many 
as  7000  patients  in  a year,  and  they  came  from  great 
distances  to  get  his  advice.  He  does  not  consider  that 
the  practice  of  healing  is  now  needed  in  Japan  to  secure 
a hearing  for  Christianity,  and,  being  in  failing  health, 
has  retired  from  medical  work.  He  is  a man  of  exten- 
sive acquaintance  with  many  Japanese  matters,  and  the 
standard  Japanese  English  Dictionary  is  the  fruit  of 
his  nearly  unaided  philological  laboru’s  during  a period 
of  thirteen  years.  He  is  now  one  of  three  scholars 
who  are  translating  the  New  Testament  into  Japanese, 
and,  although  a layman,  takes  charge  of  a native  con- 
gregation in  Yokohama.  His  extensive  information, 
scientific  attainments,  calm  judgment,  and  freedom  from 
bias,  make  him  a very  interesting  man.  He  is  by  no 
means  enthusiastic  about  the  Japanese,  or  sanguine  re/ 


THE  INDISPENSABLE  CHINAMAN. 


47 


garding  their  future  in  any  respect,  and  evidently  thinks 
them  deficient  in  solidity. 

The  Bluff  is  very  pretty  with  a New  England  pretti- 
ness, and  everything  is  neat  and  trim.  It  is  well  laid 
out  with  steep  roads  with  pretty  bungalows  on  both 
sides,  half  hidden  by  thick  shrubberies  and  hedges,  and 
azaleas,  roses,  and  other  flowering  shrubs  just  now 
brighten  the  daintily  kept  grounds.  Owing  to  the  ex- 
treme steepness  of  the  hill,  both  the  seaward  and  inland 
views  are  very  fine,  and  the  morning  and  evening 
glimpses  of  Fujisan  are  magnificent.  The  native  town 
lies  below  with  its  innumerable  novelties,  but  I cannot 
at  present  attempt  to  describe  what  I see,  for  I have 
not  yet  succeeded  in  grasping  even  the  barest  outlines. 
Japan  is  a great  empire  with  a most  ancient  and  elabo- 
rate civilisation,  and  offers  as  much  novelty  perhaps  as 
an  excursion  to  another  planet ! 

One  cannot  be  a day  in  Yokohama  without  seeing 
quite  a different  class  of  orientals  from  the  small, 
thinly  dressed,  and  usually  poor-looking  Japanese.  Of 
the  2500  Chinamen  who  reside  in  Japan,  over  1100 
are  in  Yokohama,  and  if  they  were  suddenly  removed, 
business  would  come  to  an  abrupt  halt.  Here,  as 
everywhere,  the  Chinese  immigrant  is  making  himself 
indispensable.  Ho  walks  through  the  streets  with  liis 
swinging  gait  and  air  of  complete  self-complacency,  as 
though  he  belonged  to  the  ruling  race.  He  is  tall  and 
big,  and  his  many  garments  with  a handsome  brocaded 
robe  over  all,  his  satin  pantaloons,  of  which  not  much 
is  seen,  tight  at  the  ankles,  and  his  high  shoes,  whose 
black  satin  tops  are  slightly  turned  up  at  the  toes,  make 
him  look  even  taller  and  bigger  than  he  is.  His  head 
is  mostly  shaven,  but  the  hair  at  the  back  is  plaited 
with  a quantity  of  black  purse  twist  into  a queue  which 
reaches  to  his  knees,  above  which,  set  well  back,  he 


4^  UNBEATEN  TBACKS  IN  JAPAN. 

weais  a stiff,  black  satin  skull-cap,  without  which  he  is 
newr  seen.  His  face  is  very  yellow,  his  long  dark  e}'es 
and  eyebrows  slope  upwards  towards  his  temples,  he 
has  not  the  vestige  of  a beard,  and  his  skin  is  shiny. 
He  looks  thoroughly  “well-to-do.”  He  is  not  unpleas- 
iug  looking,  but  you  feel  that  as  a Celestial  he  looks 
down  upon  you.  If  you  ask  a question  in  a merchant’s 
office,  or  change  your  gold  into  satsu,  or  take  your  rail- 
road or  steamer  ticket,  or  get  change  in  a shop,  the  in- 
evitable Chinaman  a})pears.  In  the  street  he  swings 
past  you  with  a purpose  in  his  face  ; as  he  flies  past  you 
in  a kurnma  he  is  bent  on  business ; he  is  sober  and 
reliable,  and  is  content  to  “ squeeze  ” his  employer 
rather  than  to  rob  him  — his  one  aim  in  life  is  money. 
For  this  ho  is  industrious,  faithful,  self-denying;  and  he 
has  his  reward. 

Within  an  hour  of  arriving  one  hears  the  new  word 
“ compradore,”  and  it  is  as  compradores  that  the  Chi- 
nese have  the  confidence,  and  in  business  matters  some- 
thing of  the  control,  of  this  foreign  community.  Each 
firm  has  its  Chinese  compradore,  a factotum,  middle- 
man, and  occasionally  a tyrant.  The  Japanese  pro- 
ducers, and  in  many  cases  even  the  brokers,  never  see 
the  foreign  merchant,  but  deal  with  him  through  this 
Chinaman,  who,  having  added  “ pidgun  ” Japanese  to 
“ pidgun  ” English,  is  further  aided  by  his  acquaintance 
with  his  own  written  character,  which  is  largely  used 
here.  With  a certain  amount  of  deference  to  his  em- 
ployer’s wishes,  he  arranges  the  purchase  and  sale  of 
goods,  the  hiring  and  payment  of  coolies,  the  changing 
of  money,  and  much  else.  Trusted  as  he  is  by  the  for- 
eign merchants,  who  scarcely  grudge  him  what  he 
regards  as  legitimate  “ squeezes,”  he  is  abhorred  by  the 
Japanese  dealers,  from  whom  he  exacts  “ squeezes  ” on 
everything,  and  who  have  no  check  upon  his  rapacity. 


UNPROAIISING  CANDIDATES. 


49 


The  Chinamen  who  are  not  coinpradores  are  money- 
changers, brokers,  and  clerks,  and  it  is  in  their  power 
any  da--  to  lock  the  wheels  of  Yokohama  finance.  You 
cannot  know  what  your  money  is  worth,  or  the  rate  of 
exchange,  or  any  of  the  mysteries  of  finance,  without 
appealing  to  the  sleek  well-dressed,  imperturbable,  “ de- 
fiantly comfortable,”  Chinaman.  Japanese  politeness  is 
almost  servile  m its  attitude  and  expression,  the  China- 
man is  independent,  almost  supercilious.  In  life,  as  in 
death,  he  owes  nothing  to  any  one.  He  has  his  benevo- 
lent association,  guilds,  and  temple,  and  if  he  is  so  un- 
fortunate as  not  to  return  alive  to  spend  his  fortune  in 
his  own  country,  he  ensures  that  his  remains  shall  be 
taken  there  for  their  final  rest.  A more  industrious 
and  thriving  nationality  does  not  exist  in  Japan. 

Several  of  my  kind  new  acquaintances  interested 
themselves  about  the  (to  me)  vital  matter  of  a servant 
interpreter,  and  many  Japanese  came  to  “see  after  the 
place.”  The  speaking  of  intelligible  English  is  a sine 
qud  non,  and  it  was  wonderful  to  find  the  few  words 
badly  pronounced  and  worse  put  together,  which  were 
regarded  by  the  candidates  as  a sufficient  qualification. 
Can  you  speak  English  ? “ Yes.”  What  wages  do  you 

ask?  “Twelve  dollars  a month.”  This  was  always 
said  glibly,  and  in  each  case  sounded  hopeful.  Who 
have  you  lived  with?  A foreign  name  distorted  out  of 
all  recognition  as  was  natural,  was  then  given.  Where 
have  you  travelled  ? This  question  usually  had  to  be 
translated  into  Japanese,  and  the  usual  answer  was, 
“ J’he  Tokaido,  the  Nakasendo,  to  Kiyoto,  to  Nikko,” 
naming  the  beaten  tracks  of  countless  tourists.  Do 
you  know  anything  of  Northern  Japan  and  the  Hok- 
kaido ? 

“ No,”  with  a blank,  wondering  look.  At  this  stage 
in  every  case  Dr.  Hepburn  compassionately  stepped  in 


50 


UNBEATEN  TRACKS  IN  JAR  AN. 


as  interpreter,  for  tlieir  stock  of  English  was  exhausted, 
Three  were  regarded  as  promising.  One  was  a sprightly 
youth  who  came  in  a well-made  European  suit  of  light- 
coloured  tweed,  a laid-down  collar,  a tie  with  a diamond 
(?)  pin,  and  a white  shirt,  so  stiffly  starched,  that  he 
could  hardly  bend  low  enough  for  a bow  even  of  Euro 
pean  profundity.  He  wore  a gilt  watch-chahi  with  a 
locket,  the  corner  of  a very  white  cambric  pocket  hand- 
kerchief dangled  from  his  breast  pocket,  and  he  held  a 
cane  and  a felt  hat  in  his  hand.  He  was  a Japanese 
dandy  of  the  first  water.  I looked  at  him  ruefully. 
To  me  starched  collars  are  to  be  an  unknown  luxury 
for  the  next  three  months.  His  fine  foreign  clothes 
would  enhance  prices  everywhere  in  the  interior,  and 
besides  that,  I should  feel  a perpetual  difficulty  in  ask- 
ing menial  services  from  an  exquisite.  I was  therefore 
quite  relieved  when  his  English  broke  down  at  the  sec- 
ond question. 

The  second  was  a most  respectable-looking  man  of 
thirty-five  in  a good  Japanese  dress.  He  was  highly 
recommended,  and  his  first  English  words  were  promis- 
ing, but  he  had  been  cook  m the  ser\dee  of  a wealthy 
English  official  who  travelled  with  a large  retinue,  and 
sent  servants  on  ahead  to  prepare  the  way.  He  knew 
really  only  a few  words  of  English,  and  his  horror  at 
finding  that  there  was  “ no  master,”  and  that  there 
would  be  no  woman  servant,  was  so  great,  that  I hardly 
know  whether  he  rejected  me,  or  I him. 

The  third,  sent  by  Mr.  Wdkiuson,  wore  a plain  Jap 
anese  dress,  and  had  a frank,  intelligent  face.  Though 
Dr.  Hepburn  spoke  with  him  in  Japanese,  he  thought 
that  he  knew  more  English  than  the  others,  and  that 
what  he  knew  would  come  out  when  he  was  less  agi- 
tated. He  evidently  understood  what  I said,  and 
though  I had  a suspicion  that  he  would  t irn  out  to 


[INPB  OMISING  CA  NBIDA  TES. 


6] 


be  tlie  “ master,”  I thought  him  so  prepossessing  that  J 
nearly  engaged  him  on  the  spot.  None  of  the  others 
merit  any  remark. 

However,  when  I had  nearly  made  up  my  mind  in  his 
favour,  a creature  appeared  without  any  recommenda- 
tion at  all,  except  that  one  of  Dr.  Hepburn’s  servants 
was  acquainted  with  him.  He  is  only  eighteen,  but 
this  is  equivalent  to  twenty-three  or  twenty-four  with 
us,  and  only  4 feet  10  inches  in  height,  but  though 
bandy-legged  is  well  proportioned,  and  strong-looking. 
He  has  a round  and  singularly  plain  face,  good  teeth, 
much  elongated  eyes,  and  the  heavy  droop  of  his  eye- 
lids almost  caricatures  the  usual  Japanese  peculiarity. 
He  is  the  most  stupid-looking  Japanese  that  I have  seen, 
but,  from  a rapid,  furtive  glance  in  his  eyes  now  and 
then,  I think  that  the  stolidity  is  partly  assumed.  He 
said  that  he  had  lived  at  the  American  Legation,  that 
he  had  been  a clerk  on  the  Osaka  railroad,  that  he  had 
travelled  through  northern  Japan  by  the  eastern  route 
and  in  Yezo,  with  Mr.  Maries,  a botanical  collector,  that 
he  understood  drying  plants,  that  he  could  cook  a little, 
that  he  could  write  English,  that  he  could  walk  twenty- 
five  miles  a day,  and  that  he  thoroughly  understood  get- 
ting thi'ough  the  interior  ! This  would-be  paragon  had 
no  recommendations,  and  accounted  for  this  by  saying 
that  they  had  been  burned  in  a recent  fire  in  his  father 
house.  Mr.  Maries  was  not  forthcoming,  and  more  than 
this,  I suspected  and  disliked  the  boy.  However,  he 
understood  my  English  and  I his,  and  being  very  anx- 
ious to  begin  my  travels,  I engaged  him  for  twelve  dol- 
lars a month,  and  soon  afterwards  he  came  back  with  a 
contract,  in  which  he  declares  by  all  that  he  holds  most 
sacred,  that  he  will  serve  me  faithfully  for  the  wages 
agreed  upon,  and  to  this  document  he  affixed  his  seal 
and  I my  name.  The  next  day  he  asked  me  for  a 


52 


UNBEATEN  TRACKS  IN  JAPAN. 


month’s  wages  in  advance,  which  I gave  him,  but  Di 
H.  consolingly  suggested  that  I should  never  see  him 
again ! 

Ever  since  the  solemn  night  when  the  contract  was 
signed,  I have  felt  under  an  incubus,  and  since  he  ap- 
peared here  yesterday  punctual  to  the  appointed  hour, 
I have  felt  as  if  I had  a veritable  “ old  man  of  the  sea  ” 
upon  my  shoidders.  He  flies  up  stairs  and  along  the 
corridors  as  noiselessly  as  a cat,  and  already  knows 
where  I keep  all  my  things.  Nothing  surprises  or 
abashes  him,  he  bows  profoundly  to  Sir  Harry  and 
Lady  Parkes  when  he  encounters  them,  but  is  obviously 
“ quite  at  home  ” in  a Legation,  and  only  allowed  one 
of  the  orderlies  to  show  him  how  to  put  on  a Mexican 
saddle  and  English  bridle  out  of  condescension  to  my 
wishes.  He  seems  as  sharp  or  “ smart  ” as  can  be,  and 
has  already  arranged  for  the  first  three  days  of  my  jour- 
ney. His  name  is  Ito,  and  you  will  doubtless  hear 
much  more  of  him,  as  he  will  be  my  good  or  evil  genius 
for  the  next  three  months. 

As  no  English  lady  has  yet  travelled  alone  through 
the  interior,  my  project  excites  a very  friendly  interest 
among  my  friends,  and  I receive  much  warning  and 
dissuasion,  and  a little  encouragement.  The  strongest 
because  tlie  most  intelligent  dissuasion  comes  from  Dr. 
Hepburn,  who  thinks  that  I ought  not  to  undertake  the 
journey,  and  that  I shall  never  get  through  to  the  Tsu- 
garu  Strait.  If  I accepted  much  of  the  advice  given  to 
me,  as  to  taking  tinned  meats  and  soups,  claret,  and  a 
Japanese  maid,  I should  need  a train  of  at  least  six 
pack-horses  ! As  to  fleas,  there  is  a lamentable  consen- 
sus of  opinion  that  they  are  the  curse  of  Japanese 
travelling  during  the  summer,  and  some  people  recom- 
mend me  to  sleep  in  a bag  drawn  tightly  round  the 
throat,  others  to  sprinkle  my  bedding  freely  with  insect 


TBE  GREAT  FOOD  QUESTION. 


53 


powder,  others  to  smear  the  skin  all  over  with  carbolic 
oil,  and  some  to  make  a plentiful  use  of  dried  and  pow- 
dered flea-bane.  All  admit,  however,  that  these  are  but 
feeble  palliatives.  Hammocks  unfortunately  cannot  be 
used  in  Japanese  houses. 

The  “ Food  Question  ’’  is  said  to  be  the  most  impor- 
tant one  for  all  travellers,  and  it  is  discussed  continu- 
ally with  startling  earnestness,  not  alone  as  regards  my 
tour.  However  apathetic  people  are  on  other  subjects, 
the  mere  mention  of  this  one  rouses  them  into  interest. 
All  have  suffered  or  may  suffer,  and  everyone  wishes  to 
impart  his  own  experience,  or  to  learn  from  that  ol 
others.  Foreign  ministers,  professors,  missionaries,  mer- 
chants, all  discuss  it  with  becoming  gravity  as  a ques- 
tion of  life  and  death,  which  by  many  it  is  supposed  to 
be.  The  fact  is  that  except  at  a few  hotels  in  popular 
resorts  which  are  got  up  for  foreigners,  bread,  buLter, 
milk,  meat,  poultry,  coffee,  wine,  and  beer,  are  unattain- 
able, that  fresh  fish  is  rare,  and  that  unless  one  can  live 
on  rice,  tea,  and  eggs,  with  the  addition  now  and  then 
of  some  tasteless  fresh  vegetables,  food  must  be  taken, 
as  the  fishy  and  vegetable  abominations  known  as 
“ Japanese  food  ” can  only  be  swallowed  and  digested 
by  a few,  and  that  after  long  practice.^ 

Another,  but  far  inferior  difficulty  on  which  much 
stress  is  laid,  is  the  practice  common  among  native  ser- 
vants of  getting  a “ squeeze  ” out  of  every  money 
transaction  on  the  road,  so  that  the  cost  of  travelling  is 
often  doubled,  and  sometimes  trebled,  according  to  the 
skill  and  capacity  of  the  servant.  Three  gentlemen 
who  have  travelled  extensively,  have  given  me  lists  of 

1 After  several  montlis  of  travelling  in  some  of  the  roughest  parts  of 
the  interior,  I should  advise  a person  in  average  health  — and  none 
other  should  travel  in  Japan  — not  to  encumber  himself  with  tinned 
meats,  soups,  claret,  or  any  eatables  or  drinkables  exfept  Liebig’s  es 
tract  of  meat 


54 


UNBEATEN  TRACKti  IN  JAPAN. 


the  prices  which  I ought  to  pay,  varying  in  different 
districts,  and  largely  increased  on  the  beaten  track  of 
tourists,  and  Mr.  Wilkinson  has  read  these  to  Ito,  who 
offered  an  occasional  remonstrance.  Mr.  W.  remarked 
after  the  conversation,  which  was  in  Japanese,  that  he 
thought  I should  have  to  “ look  sharp  after  money  mat- 
ters ” — a painful  prospect,  as  I have  never  been  able 
to  manage  anybody  in  my  life,  and  shall  surely  have  no 
control  over  this  clever,  cunning,  Japanese  youth,  who 
on  most  points  will  be  able  to  deceive  me  as  he  pleases. 

On  returning  here  I found  that  Lady  Parkcs  had 
made  most  of  the  necessary  preparations  for  me,  and 
that  they  include  two  light  baskets  with  covers  of  oiled 
paper,  a travelling  bed  or  stretcher,  a folding  chair,  and 
an  india-rubber  bath,  all  which  she  considers  as  neces- 
saries for  a person  in  feeble  health  on  a journey  of  such 
long  duration.  This  week  has  been  spent  in  making 
acquaintances  in  Tdkiyo,  seeing  some  characteristic 
sights,  and  in  trying  to  get  light  on  my  tour,  hut  little 
seems  known  by  foreigners  of  northern  Japan,  and  a 
Government  department,  on  bemg  applied  to,  returned 
an  itinerary,  leaving  out  140  miles  of  the  route  that  1 
dream  of  taking,  on  the  ground  of  “ insufficient  infor- 
mation,” on  which  Sii’  Harry  cheerily  remarked,  “ You 
will  have  to  get  your  information  as  you  go  along,  and 
that  will  be  all  the  more  interesting.”  Ah  ! but  how  ? 

I.  L.  B 


THE  MEDIEVAL  DBAMA. 


55 


THEATRICAL. 

Theatrical  Eeform  — The  Ancient  Drama  — The  Modern  Theatre  — 
The  Stage  — The  Opening  of  a Reformed  Theatre  — The  Playen. 
— The  Opening  Address  — Moral  Reforms  — Exasperating  Noises 
— A Comic  Pastoral. 


H.B.M.’s  Legation,  Tedo,  June  7. 

On  Friday  we  went  by  formal  invitation  to  tbe  open- 
ing of  tbe  new  Shintomi  Theatre,  which  is  to  introduce 
a new  era  in  the  Japanese  drama.  Hitherto,  though  a 
passion  for  the  play  is  general  in  Japan,  theatre-going 
has  been  an  enjoyment  confined  by  custom  to  the  mid- 
dle and  lower  classes,  and  the  idea  of  the  Mikado,  Iwa- 
kura,  Terashima,  or  any  others  of  the  Ministry  honour- 
ing public  theatricals  with  their  presence  would  be 
regarded  as  simply  monstrous;  but  there  are  private 
theatres  at  the  palace,  where  the  Emperor  and  Court 
witness  the  N6^  the  mediaeval  lyric  drama  of  Japan, 
“the  very  aristocracy  of  the  histrionic  art.”  But  as 
Japan  is  following  western  example  in  so  many  ways,  it 
has  occurred  to  Morita,  the  enterprising  proprietor  of 
this  new  theatre,  that  a regenerated  drama  with  an 
improved  stage,  and  a light  and  well-ventilated  audito- 
rium, “would,  as  in  Europe,  be  a means  of  recreation 
worthy  of  the  highest  in  the  land,”  and  produce  the 
result  indicated  in  a Japanese  proverb  quoted  by  a 
native  paper,  the  Meiroku  ZassM,  on  this  very  subject, 
“ There  is  nothing  that  unites  the  highest  and  lowest  sc 
much  as  community  of  entertainment.” 


66 


UNBEATEN  TRACKS  IN  JAPAN. 


Theatres  are  called  shihaiya.,  “turf  places,”  becaiise 
the  first  performances  were  held  on  grass  plots.  The 
origiii  of  the  drama  in  Japan,  as  in  most  other  coun- 
tries, was  religious,  its  primary  object  being  to  propiti- 
ate the  gods.  At  first  it  consisted  of  dancing  tc  an 
orchestral  accompaniment  by  masked  and  quaintly  cos 
turned  male  dancers.  Two  such  dances,  one  of  Japan- 
ese origin,  founded  on  some  of  the  oldest  ShintQ  tradi- 
tions, and  introduced  from  China  in  the  sixth  centur} 
A.D.,  still  exist ; but  the  earliest  approach  to  a play  was 
a dance  by  an  actor  dressed  up  as  an  old  man  early  in 
the  ninth  century,  and  thi-ee  centuries  later  a woman 
named  Iso  no  Zuiji,  who  is  regarded  by  some  as  the 
mother  of  the  Japanese  drama,  danced  and  postured  in 
the  costume  of  the  Court  nobles.  It  was  only  in  1624 
that  a man  by  the  ShSgun’s  order  opened  the  first  thea- 
tre in  Yedo.  The  play-houses  are  mostly  in  one  street, 
called  after  him  Saruwaka  Street.^ 

In  the  last  three  centuries  the  drama  has  come  down 
from  legend  to  history,  and  from  history  to  the  common 
doings  of  ordinary  men  and  women,  and  the  adoption 
of  elaborate  scenery,  the  multiplication  of  performers, 
and  the  disintegration  of  the  dramatic  unity  of  the 
piece,  have  gradually  brought  about  new  conditions,  out 
of  winch  has  been  developed  the  modern  drama  or 
melodrama.  The  best  of  the  Japanese  classical  plays 
are  still  partially  historical.  One  of  the  most  popular 

1 In  the  Cornhill  3Ia\/azine,  Oct.  1876,  Mr.  B.  H.  Chamberlain  gives  s 
very  interesting  and  popular  account  of  the  No,  the  ancient  lyric  drama, 
accompanied  by  a translation  of  The  Beathstonc,  a play  with  two  drama- 
tis personae,  a priest  and  a maiden,  and  a chorus.  The  drama  opens 
with  a speech  by  the  Priest.  “ I am  a priest,  and  Gen-o  is  my  name. 
With  a heart  ever  fixed  upon  the  path  of  wisdom,  I had  long  groaned 
over  the  imperfection  of  my  spiritual  insight.  But  now  I see  clear,  and 
with  the  sacerdotal  besom  I shall  sweep  the  cobwebs  from  the  eyes  cl 
men.”  The  Deathstone  is  well  worth  reading  as  a specimen  of  the  per- 
formances which  are  among  the  greatest  pleasures  of  the  most  highlj 
cultivated  Japanese. 


THE  THEATRICAL  PROFESSION. 


57 


of  these  is  “ The  forty-seven  Ronins,”  founded  on  the 
tale  so  simply  told  m Mr.  Mitford’s  Tales  of  Old  Japan. 
Of  the  worst,  many  of  which  are  the  most  popular,  I 
believe  that  the  .less  that  is  said  the  better.  Several  of 
the  native  papers  accuse  the  theatre  of  being  the  great 
corrupter  of  the  youth  of  Japan,  and  the  Meiroku 
Zasslii  advocates  theatrical  reform  on  the  ground  that 
theatrical  performances  generally  are  “immoral,  false 
nonsensical,  and  tedious.”  In  the  “ Code  of  morals  foi 
women,”  it  is  enjoined  that  no  woman  under  forty 
should  go  to  the  theatre,  but  this  wise  prohibition  is 
very  generally  violated  among  the  lower  classes.  It 
is  only  from  the  best  historical  plays,  however,  that  the 
rising  generation  can  learn  anything  of  the  costumes, 
customs,  manners,  and  etiquette  of  the  old  regime,  and 
it  is  easj''  to  understand  the  fascination  which  the  thea- 
tre wields  over  people  to  whom  it  offers  the  only  repro- 
duction of  that  stately  national  life  of  which  all  men  of 
thirty  have  an  adult  remembrance. 

The  profession  of  an  actor  is  hereditary,  and  MS. 
instructions  are  carefully  handed  down  in  his  family. 
Actors  have  been  looked  upon  as  a degraded  class,  but 
their  disabilities  along  with  those  of  the  etd,  a pariah 
caste,  are  now  removed.  One  family  of  actors,  that  to 
which  Ichikawa  Danijir6,  the  most  famous  of  living 
Japanese  actors,  belongs,  was  an  exception  to  the  gen- 
eral rule  of  degradation.  Under  the  ShOguns  women 
were  prohibited  from  acting  with  men,  but  there  are 
female  theatrical  companies,  said,  however,  to  be  neither 
popular  nor  numerous.  The  beardlessness  of  the  ordi- 
nary Japanese  renders  the  “ get  up  ” of  a man  as  a 
woman  an  easy  thing,  but  the  imitated  voice  is  most 
unpleasing,  and  there  is  a stiffness  and  lack  of  grace 
about  female  parts  so  filled.  Women  are  now  being 
introduced  into  theatrical  companies.  The  story  of  a 


58 


UNBEATEN  TRACKS  IN  JAPAN. 


play  is  said  to  be  forcibly  told,  but  the  action  of  the 
body  and  face  is,  according  to  western  notions,  forced 
and  exaggerated,  while  doleful  music  and  the  plaintive 
wailing  of  the  chorus  unduly  intensify  the  expression 
of  grief  and  despair.  Many  foreigners  interested  in 
Japanese  archaic  matters,  and  tolerably  acquainted 
with  the  language,  are  much  fascinated  by  the  classical 
drama,  but  if  the  representation  at  the  Shintomi  Thea- 
tre was  at  all  typical,  I should  describe  it  as  slow  and 
tedious. 

An  ordinary  Japanese  play  begins  at  6 or  10  A.M., 
lasts  the  whole  day,  and  possibly  two  or  three  succes- 
sive days,  and  at  Tokiyo  extends  into  the  night.  There 
are  intervals  between  the  acts  in  which  many  play- 
goers adjourn  for  refreshments  to  the  neighbouring 
tea-houses,  but  it  is  quite  correct  for  refreshments  to 
be  served  to  parties  in  the  theatre  itself,  and  even  on 
this  opening  day  tea-house  servants  continuously  car- 
ried lacquer  trays  with  tea,  rice,  and  sandwiches  to  the 
occupants  of  the  compartments  or  boxes.  Of  course 
smoking  is  allowed,  as  it  is  in  temples  and  everywhere 
else.  When  the  performances  are  carried  on  after  dark, 
a row  of  candles  is  placed  in  front  of  the  stage,  and 
attendants,  with  additional  candles  fixed  on  long  sticks, 
hold  them  so  as  to  throw  light  upon  the  faces  of  those 
actors  who  are  speaking  or  grimacing.  Boys  in  loose 
black  caps,  who  are  supposed  to  be  invisible,  crouch 
behind  the  performers  in  order  to  remove  articles  no 
longer  required,  or  to  slip  an  unseen  support  under  an 
actor  who  has  to  sustain  the  same  position  for  any 
length  of  time.  The  stage  used  for  the  No  dramas  is 
a plain,  square,  wooden  room,  supported  by  pillars  and 
open  on  all  sides  but  one,  and  that,  according  to  imme- 
morial usage,  is  painted  with  a pine  tree,  three  small 
pine  trees  being  planted  or  placed  in  the  court  wliicb 


THE  8HINTOMI  THEATRE. 


59 


separates  the  stage  from  the  spectators.  There  is  no 
ornament  at  all.  But  the  ordinary  stage  is  provided 
with  scenery  which  is  nearly  brought  to  perfection, 
aod  the  costumes  are  gorgeous  in  the  extreme,  many 
of  them  being  of  great  antiquity  and  absolutely  price- 
less, owing  to  the  beauty  of  the  antique  needlework. 

Morita’s  invitation  was  extended  to  the  diplomatic 
body,  the  foreigners  in  Government  employment,  and 
to  a large  number  of  the  higher  Japanese  officials. 
The  whole  neighbourhood  was  en  fete.  The  great  tea- 
houses, which  sell  theatre  tickets  which  ensure  both 
seats  and  refreshments,  were  gay  with  flags  and  col- 
oured paper  lanterns,  and  the  theatre  doors  were  only 
kept  clear  for  visitors  by  rows  of  policemen,  who 
quietly  kept  back  the  crowd  which  blocked  the  street. 
A steward  in  European  evening  dress  handed  us  to 
our  seats  in  the  front  row  of  the  gallery  facing  the 
stage,  one  half  of  which  was  reserved  for  foreigners, 
and  the  other  half  for  Japanese  officialdom,  and  the 
seats  both  in  it  and  the  side  galleries  were  covered  with 
very  ugly  carpets  for  the  occasion.  In  the  long  delay 
before  the  opening,  tea  and  ices  were  handed  to  the 
invited  guests. 

The  building  is  very  plain  and  bare.  The  stage  for 
that  day  was  destitute  of  scenery  and  ornament,  and 
was  arranged  for  the  No  performance.  Were  it  not  so, 
it  would  have  been  equipped  with  a turn-table,  a trap 
or  ascent,  and  topsy-turvy  scenes.  The  whole  is  of 
pure  white  wood.  The  floor  or  pit  is  occupied  with 
compartments,  which  were  crowded  with  men,  women, 
and  children,  talldng,  smoking,  and  eating.  Two  raised 
wooden  walks  called  “ flower  paths,”  by  which  the 
actors  enter  and  retire  on  some  occasions,  pass  through 
the  pit.  There  is  a very  neat  ceiling,  which,  like  the 
whole  of  the  carpenters’  work,  is  highly  finished  in 


60 


UNBEATEN  TRACKS  IN  JAPAN. 


fine  white  wood.  The  greatest  innovation  is  that  twc 
gasaliers  have  been  introduced,  and  gas  footlights  have 
replaced  the  dismal  row  of  tallow  candles  and  the 
black  “ supers  ” who  used  to  follow  the  actors  about 
with  lighted  tapers  on  the  end  of  rods.  The  theatre 
is  seated  for  2000  people,  but  you  must  not  understand 
by  that  that  it  has  seats,  for  the  boxes  are  only  finely 
matted  pens  in  which  the  playgoers  sit  on  the  floor  in 
the  usual  position  of  squatting  on  the  heels.  The  only 
decorations  were  a profusion  of  white  flags  with  the 
badges  of  the  actors  in  red  upon  them,  interspersed 
with  flags  and  paper  lanterns  of  red  and  white,  the 
national  colours.  The  efi^ect  of  this  almost  monot- 
onous simplicity  was  a harmonious  prettiness  which 
pleased  and  rested  the  eyes.  The  stage  was  partially 
concealed,  not  by  a “ drop  scene,”  but  by  a pure  white 
curtain  with  the  badge  of  the  theatre  in  red  upon  it, 
red  and  white  being  the  only  colours  used. 

Before  the  performance,  attendants  presented  each 
invited  guest  with  a pretty,  white  fan,  ornamented  in 
red  with  the  Cliinese  characters  which  form  Morita’s 
name.  The  people  are  so  far  fortunate  whose  written 
characters  lend  themselves  so  readily  to  the  purposes 
of  simple  and  tasteful  ornament.  When  delay  had 
become  nearly  insupportable,  and  the  noisy  music  of 
marine  and  military  bands,  which  performed  alter- 
nately, had  rasped  sensitive  nerves  to  the  extreme  limit 
of  endurance,  a curtain  at  the  side  of  the  stage  was 
drawn  aside,  and  Morita,  accompanied  by  forty  actors 
in  European  evening  dress,  advanced  to  the  front  and 
right  of  the  stage,  those  who  perform  as  females  group- 
ing themselves  on  the  left,  dressed  in  Tcimono  and 
haJcama.  The  actors  in  European  dress  arranged  them 
selves  in  a dismal  line,  an  awkward  squad.  Alas  foi 
ihern ! Where  was  Ichikawa  Danijiro,  the  idol  of  play 


THEATRICAL  REFORM. 


61 


goers,  with  whose  stately  figure  in  brocaded  robes  I 
had  become  familiar  from  countless  photographs,  and 
where  the  host  of  grand,  two-sworded  lesser  luminaries 
in  the  rich  draperies  of  the  old  regime?  Fanuy  Parkes, 
aged  six,  said,  “ Papa,  how  very  funny  all  those  ugly 
men  look ! ” and  if  she  had  been  aged  sixty  she  could 
not  have  made  a more  apt  remark.  The  yellow,  fea- 
tureless faces,  all  alike,  the  bullet-shaped  craniums,  the 
coarse  cropped  hair  bristling  up  from  the  head,  the 
flat  chests,  round  shoulders,  and  lean,  ill-shaped  legs, 
were  exhibited  in  all  their  ugliness  in  western  dress, 
for  the  first,  and  I hope  for  the  last  time.  The  clothes 
looked  as  if  they  had  all  been  made  for  one  man,  and 
that  man  not  one  of  the  forty  who  were  present.  It  is 
true  that  they  had  got  into  them,  but  that  is  very  dif- 
ferent from  wearing  them.  They  stood  in  one  deplora- 
ble attitude,  with  lean  arms  hanging  limp  by  their 
sides,  hands  crammed  into  badly-fitting  white  kid 
gloves,  and  looking  like  miscreants  awaiting  castiga- 
tion. 

Morita  read  the  following  address  in  Japanese : — 

Spoken  at  the  Shintomi  Theatre,  Yedo,  on  the  day  of 
the  opening  of  the  new  house. 

“Some  persons  with  a taste  for  histrionic  perform- 
ances, filled  with  regret  at  the  inutility  of  these  per- 
formances consequent  on  their  general  corruption,  ac- 
quainted Morita,  proprietor  of  the  Shimabara  Theatre, 
and  the  chief  actors,  with  their  desire  of  effecting  altera- 
tions both  in  the  arrangements  of  the  house  and  the 
character  of  the  dramas  exhibited,  of  avoiding  all  in- 
decency, and  making  propriety  the  end  and  aim  of 
bringing  on  the  boards  such  living  historical  pictures  as 
might  persuade  to  virtue  and  deter  from  vice,  and  of 
thus  obtaining,  on  the  one  hand,  the  result  of  helping 


62 


UNBEATEN  TRACKS  IN  JAPAN. 


towards  tlie  improvement  of  manners  and  morals,  and 
on  the  other  that  of  constituting  this  house  the  cliiel 
place  of  relaxation  for  nobles  and  distinguished  men,  as 
also  for  the  Ministers  of  foreign  countries  — in  a word, 
for  the  elite  of  society  — results  which  might,  to  some 
degree,  prove  of  service  to  the  cause  of  orderly  go'vern- 
ment,  and  form  one  feature  in  the  advance  of  society 
along  the  path  of  civilisation.  Morita  and  the  actors 
have,  in  consequence,  spared  no  effort;  and  not  only 
the  arrangement  of  the  house  and  the  tendency  of  the 
dramas,  but  even  the  behaviour  and  the  manners  of  the 
performers  have  been  subjected  to  reform,  so  as  to  lead 
them  to  hope  for  the  patronage  of  the  elite  of  societ}'. 
Now  has  arrived  the  day  when  the  theatre  stands  com- 
pleted. They  solemnly  inaugurate  it  with  a ceremonial 
based  on  that  observed  at  the  inauguration  of  banks 
and  similiar  useful  institutions;  they  have  invited  the 
mditary  band  to  discourse  music  ; they  have  requested 
the  honour  of  the  presence  of  all  the  elite  of  society, 
of  the  Governor,  of  the  greater,  middle,  and  lesser 
Inspectors  of  Police,  of  the  higher  officials,  of  the 
nobility,  of  the  chief  merchants,  and  of  the  Ministers 
of  foreign  countries,  and  what  they  expect  from  the 
auspices  of  so  brilliant  an  inauguration  is  the  commence- 
ment of  the  era  of  theatrical  reform.” 

After  this  the  favourite  actor  followed  with  another  in 
the  same  strain,  on  behalf  of  himself  and  Ins  brethren. 
Although  one’s  sense  of  the  ludicrous  must  be  excited 
by  the  aping  of  European  costume,  yet  Morita’s  ad- 
dress has  a special  interest  and  importance  as  an 
additional  evidence  of  the  desire  for  ref orm  from  ivithin, 
and  as  being  altogether  in  sympathy  with  the  great 
Japanese  movement  in  the  direction  of  western  civilisa- 
tion. His  attempt  to  puri^"  the  stage  is  in  harmony 
with  the  action  of  the  Government  in  prohibiting  the 


COMIC  PASTORAL. 


63 


sale  of  pictures  and  figures  of  an  immoral  tendency,  in 
suppressing  many  immoral  exhibitions,  in  enforcing  the 
wearing  of  clothing  out  of  doors  in  the  cities,  in  pro- 
hibiting promiscuous  bathing  in  the  public  bath-houses, 
and  in  many  other  ways  providing  for  the  impro’vement, 
at  least  in  externals,  of  the  public  morals. 

After  an  interval,  during  which  tea  and  champagne 
were  provided  in  the  galleries,  and  much  feasting  went 
on  in  the  pit,  the  curtain  rose  upon  the  No  stage  and  its 
performers.  Mr.  Chamberlain,  the  scholarly  author  of 
the  paper  on  this  performance,  in  the  CornTiill  Magazine 
for  October  ld76,  tried  to  rouse  me  to  some  enthusiasm 
about  this  ancient  lyric  drama ; but  in  spite  of  his  ex- 
planations, the  splendour  of  the  dresses,  and  the  antique 
dignity  of  the  actors,  I found  it  most  tedious,  and  the 
strumming,  squalling,  mewing,  and  stamping  by  wliich 
the  traditional  posturings  are  accompanied,  are  to  a 
stranger  absolutely  exasperating.  This  was  followed  by 
a short  play,  the  scene  of  which  was  laid  in  the  Old 
Palace  in  Kiybto,  and  concluded  with  a comic  pastoral, 
in  which  troops  of  actors  and  “ actresses  ” danced  and 
frolicked  down  the  “ flower  paths,”  waving  branches  of 
blossoming  cherry.  The  costumes  in  the  Nd  were  gor- 
geous, some  of  them  probably  several  centuries  old,  and 
the  di'esses  in  the  pastoral  were  exquisitely  beautiful, 
The  latter  was  indeed  a lovely  spectacle.  I.  L.  B. 


UNBEATEN  TRACKS  IN  JAPAN. 


G4 


WORSHIP. 

Kwau  non  Temple  — Uniformity  of  Temple  Architecture  — A Kura- 
ma  Expedition  — A Perpetual  Festival  — The  Ni-6 — The  Limbo 
of  Vanity  — Heathen  Prayers  — Binzum  — The  Fox-God — A 
Group  of  Devils  — Floral  Monstrosities  — Japanese  Womankind 
- New  Japan  — An  EUgante. 

H.B.M.’s  Legation,  Yedo,  June  9. 

Once  for  all  I will  describe  a Buddhist  temple,  and  it 
shall  be  the  popular  temple  of  Asakusa,  which  keeps 
fair  and  festival  the  whole  year  round,  and  is  dedicated 
to  the  “ thousand-armed  ” Kwan-non,  the  goddess  of 
mercy Writing  generally,  it  may  be  said  that  in  de- 
sign, roof,  and  general  aspect,  Japanese  Buddhist  temples 
are  all  alike.  The  sacred  architectural  idea  expresses 
itself  in  nearly  the  same  form  always.  There  is  the 
single  or  double  roofed  gateway,  with  highly  coloured 
figures  in  niches  on  either  side  ; the  paved  temple-court, 
with  more  or  fewer  stone  or  bronze  lanterns ; amainu^ 
or  heavenly  dogs,  in  stone  on  stone  pedestals;  stone 

' Kuhan-on,  pronounced  Kwan-non,  the  goddess  of  mercy,  the  most 
^Kipular  Divinity  of  the  Japanese  Pantheon,  is  imported  from  China, 
where  she  is  known  as  Kwanyin.  The  following  note  and  legend  of 
her  origin  havs  been  given  to  me  by  Mr.  F.  V.  Dickens.  “ Probably 
Kwanyin  was  found  as  a principal  goddess  among  the  Chinese  by  the 
Buddhist  missionaries  on  their  arrival  from  India,  and  by  them  was 
made  out  to  be  their  own  deity  Avalokiteswara,  who  is  male,  and  head 
of  the  church.  Her  name  mean.s  the  onlooker,  the  hearer  of  prayers,  or 
rather,  of  the  sound  of  prayers.  The  Chinese  say  she  was  a daughter 
of  Chong  Wang  (n.c.  696),  and  was  put  into  a convent  and  ordered  to 
be  executed  because  she  refused  to  marry  in  accordance  with  her 
father’s  wishes  The  executioner's  sword  broke,  and  in  consequencn 


A POPULAR  TEMPLE. 


65 


sarcophagi,  roofed  over  or  not,  for  holy  water  ; a flight 
of  steps ; a portico,  continued  as  a verandah  all  round 
the  temple ; a roof  of  tremendously  disproportionate 
size  and  weight,  with  a peculiar  curve ; a square  or 
oblong  hall  divided  by  a railing  from  a “ chancel  ” with 
a high  and  low  altar,  and  a shrine  containing  Buddha,  or 
the  divinity  to  whom  the  chapel  is  dedicated;  an  in- 
cense-burner, and  a few  ecclesiastical  ornaments.  The 
symbols,  idols,  and  adornments,  depend  upon  the  sect 
to  which  the  temple  belongs,  or  the  wealth  of  its  vota- 
ries, or  the  fancy  of  the  priests.  Some  temples  are 
packed  full  of  gods,  shrines,  banners,  bronzes,  brasses, 
tablets,  and  ornaments,  and  others,  like  those  of  the 
Monto  sect,  are  so  severely  simple,  that  with  scarcely 
an  alteration  they  might  be  used  for  Christian  worship 
to-morrow. 

The  foundations  consist  of  square  stones  on  which 
the  uprights  rest.  These  are  of  elm,  and  are  united  at 
intervals  by  longitudinal  pieces.  The  great  size  and 
enormous  weight  of  the  roofs  arises  from  the  trusses 
being  formed  of  one  heavy  frame  bemg  built  upon  an- 
other in  diminishing  squares  till  the  top  is  reached,  the 
main  beams  being  formed  of  very  large  timbers  put  on 
in  their  natural  state.  They  are  either  very  heavily  and 
ornamentally  tiled,  or  covered  with  sheet  copper  orna- 
mented with  gold,  or  thatched  to  a depth  of  from  one 

she  was  stifled.  She  went  to  hell,  but  hell  immediately  turned  into 
paradise  ; and  Tama,  its  king,  disgusted  with  the  change,  sent  her  hack 
to  life  on  a lotus  flower.  Then  her  father  fell  sick,  and  she  cured  him 
by  cutting  off  the  flesh  of  her  arms,  and  feeding  him  with  it.  A statue 
was  ordered  to  he  erected  to  her  with  eyes  and  arms  complete,  hut  hy  a 
misunderstanding  of  the  word  ch’uen  (complete)  for  Ts’ien,  a thousand, 
it  was  provided  with  a thousand  arms  and  eyes.”  The  “thousand- 
armed Kwan-non  ” came  to  Japan  with  the  Buddhist  propagandists, 
and  her  cultus  is  one  of  the  most  popular  in  the  Empire.  The  temple  of 
Sanjiusangendo  at  Kiyoto  contains  (it  is  said)  33,000  representations  of 
this  divinity,  a thousand  of  which  are  larger  than  life.  It  is  one  of  the 
most  impressive  sights  in  Japan, 


6d 


UNBEATEN  TRACKS  IN  JAPAN. 


to  three  feet,  with  fine  shingles  or  bark.  The  casing  ol 
the  walls  on  the  outside  is  usually  thick  elm  planking 
either  lacquered  or  unpainted,  and  that  of  the  inside  is 
of  thin,  finely  planed  and  bevelled  planking  of  the  beau- 
tiful wood  of  the  Retinospora  obtusa.  The  lining  of  the 
roof  is  in  flat  panels,  and  where  it  is  supported  by  pil- 
lars, they  are  invariably  circular,  and  formed  of  the 
straight,  finely  grained  stem  of  the  Retinospora  obtusa. 
The  projecting  ends  of  the  roof  beams  under  the  eaves 
are  <;ither  elaborately  carved,  lacquered  in  dull  red,  or 
covered  with  copper,  as  are  the  joints  of  the  beams. 
Very  few  nails  are  used,  the  timbers  being  very  beauti- 
fully joined  by  mortices  and  dovetails,  other  methods 
of  junction  being  unknown. 

Mr.  Chamberlain  and  I went  in  a kuruma  hurried 
along  by  three  liveried  coolies,  through  the  three  miles 
of  crowded  streets  which  lie  between  the  Legation  and 
Asakusa,  once  a village,  but  now  incorporated  with  this 
monster  city,  to  the  broad  street  leading  to  the  Adzuma 
Bridge  over  the  Sumida  river,  one  of  the  few  stone 
bridges  in  TokiyS,  which  connects  east  Tokiyo,  an  un 
interesting  region,  containing  many  canals,  storehouses, 
timber-yards,  and  inferior  pashikis,  with  the  rest  of  the 
city.  This  street,  marvellously  thronged  with  pedes- 
trians and  kurumas,  is  the  terminus  of  a number  of  city 
“ stage  lines,”  and  twenty  wretched-looking  covered 
waggons,  with  still  more  wretched  ponies,  were  drawn 
up  in  the  middle,  waiting  for  passengers.  Just  thert 
plenty  of  real  Tokiyo  life  is  to  be  seen,  for  near  a shriiu. 
of  popular  pilgrimage  there  are  always  numerous  places 
of  amusement,  innocent  and  vicious,  and  the  vicin- 
ity, of  this  temple  is  full  of  restaurants,  tea-houses, 
minor  theatres,  and  the  resorts  of  dancing  and  singing 
girls. 

A broad  pavmd  avenue,  only  open  to  fo  Dt-passengers, 


A PERPETUAL  FAIR. 


67 


leads  from  this  street  to  the  grand  entrance,  a colcissal 
two-storied  double-roofed  7non  or  gate,  painted  a rich 
dull  red.  On  either  side  of  this  avenue  are  lines  of 
booths,  which  make  a brilliant  and  lavish  display  of 
their  contents,  toy-shops,  shops  for  smoking  apparatus, 
and  shops  for  the  sale  of  ornamental  hair-pins  predom- 
inating. Nearer  the  gate  are  booths  for  the  sale  of 
rosaries  for  prayer,  sleeve  and  bosom  idols  of  brass  and 
wood  in  small  shrines,  amulet  bags,  representations  of 
the  jolly-looking  Daikoku,  the  god  of  wealth,  the  most 
popular  of  the  household  gods  of  Japan,  shrines,  me- 
morial tablets,  cheap  ex  votos,  sacred  bells,  candlesticks, 
and  incense-burners,  and  all  the  endless  and  various 
articles  connected  with  Buddhist  devotion,  public  and 
private.  Every  day  is  a festival-day  at  Asakusa ; the 
temple  is  dedicated  to  the  most  popular  of  the  great 
divinities ; it  is  the  most  popular  of  religious  resorts ; 
and  whether  he  be  Buddhist,  Shint6ist,  or  Christian,  no 
stranger  comes  to  the  capital  without  making  a visit  to 
its  crowded  courts,  or  a purchase  at  its  tempting  booths. 
Not  to  be  an  exception,  I invested  in  bouquets  of  fire- 
work flowers,  50  flowers  for  2 sen,  or  Id.,  each  of  which, 
as  it  slowly  consumes,  throws  off  fiery  coruscations, 
shaped  like  the  most  beautiful  of  snow  crystals.  I was 
also  tempted  by  small  boxes  at  2 sen  each,  containing 
what  look  like  little  slips  of  withered  pith,  but  which, 
on  being  dropped  into  water,  expand  into  trees  and 
flowers. 

Down  a paved  passage  on  the  right  there  is  an  arti 
ficial  river,  not  over  clean,  with  a bridge  formed  of  one 
curved  stone,  from  which  a flight  of  steps  leads  up  to  a 
small  temple  with  a magnificent  bronze  bell.  At  the 
entrance  several  women  were  praying.  In  the  same 
direction  are  two  fine  bronze  Buddhas,  seated  figures, 
one  with  clasped  hands,  the  other  holding  a lotus,  both 


68 


UNBEATEN  TRACES  IN  JAPAN. 


with  “ The  light  of  the  world  ” upon  their  broAvs.  The 
grand  red  gateway  into  the  actual  temple  courts  has  an 
extremely  imposing  elfect,  and  besides  it  is  the  portal  to 
the  first  great  heathen  temple  that  I have  seen,  and  it 
made  me  think  of  another  temple  whose  courts  were 
equally  crowded  with  buyers  and  sellers,  and  of  a 
“whip  of  small  cords  ” in  the  hand  of  One  who  claimed 
both  the  temple  and  its  courts  as  His  “ Father’s  House." 
Not  with  less  righteous  wrath  would  the  gentle  founder 
of  Buddhism  purify  the  unsanctified  courts  of  Asakusa. 
Hundreds  of  men,  women,  and  children  passed  to  and 
fro  through  the  gateway  in  incessant  streams,  and  so 
they  are  passing  through  every  daylight  hour  of  every 
day  in  the  year,  thousands  becoming  tens  of  thousands 
on  the  great  matsuri  days,  when  the  mikoshi  or  sacred 
car,  containing  certain  symbols  of  the  god,  is  exhibited, 
and  after  sacred  mimes  and  dances  have  been  performed, 
is  carried  in  a magnificent,  antique  procession  to  the 
shore  and  back  again.  Under  the  gateway  on  either 
side  are  the  Ni-d  or  two  kings,  gigantic  figures  in  flow- 
ing robes,  one  red  and  with  an  open  mouth,  represent- 
ing the  Yo,  or  male  principle  of  Chinese  philosophy,  the 
other  green,  and  with  the  mouth  firmly  closed,  repre- 
senting the  In,  or  female  principle.  They  are  hideous 
creatures,  with  protruding  eyes,  and  faces  and  figyrres 
distorted  and  corrupted  into  a high  degree  of  exagger- 
ated and  convulsive  action.  These  figures  guard  the 
gates  of  most  of  the  larger  temples,  and  small  prints 
of  them  are  pasted  over  the  doors  of  houses  to  protect 
them  against  burglars.  Attached  to  the  grating  in  front 
were  a number  of  straw  sandals,  hung  up  by  people  who 
pray  that  their  limbs  may  be  as  muscular  as  those  of 
the  A7-0. 

Passing  through  this  gate  we  were  in  the  temple  coimt 
proper,  and  in  front  of  the  temple  itself,  a building  of 


PERPETUAL  MOTION. 


69 


imposing  height  and  size,  of  a dull  red  colour,  with  a 
grand  roof  of  heavy  iron  grey  tiles,  with  a sweeping 
curve  which  gives  grace  as  well  as  grandeur.  The  tim- 
bers and  supports  are  solid,  and  of  great  size,  but  in 
common  with  all  Japanese  temples,  whether  Buddhist 
or  ShintS,  the  edifice  is  entirely  of  wood.  A broad 
flight  of  narrow,  steep,  brass-bound  steps  lead  up  to  the 
porch,  which  is  formed  by  a number  of  circular  pillars 
supporting  a very  lofty  roof,  from  which  paper  lanterns 
ten  feet  long  are  hanging.  A gallery  runs  from  this 
round  the  temple,  under  cover  of  the  eaves.  There  is 
an  outer  temple,  un-matted,  and  an  inner  one  behind  a 
grating,  into  which  those  who  choose  to  pay  for  the 
privilege  of  praying  in  comparative  privacy,  or  of  hav- 
ing prayers  said  for  them  by  the  priests,  can  pass. 

In  the  outer  temple,  the  noise,  confusion,  and  perpet- 
ual motion,  are  bewildering.  Crowds  on  clattering 
clogs  pass  in  and  out,  pigeons,  of  which  hundreds  live 
in  the  porch,  fly  over  your  head,  and  the  whirring  of 
their  wings  mingles  with  the  tinkling  of  bells,  the  beat- 
ing of  drums  and  gongs,  the  high-pitched  drone  of  the 
priests,  the  low  murmur  of  prayers,  the  rippling  laugh- 
ter of  girls,  the  harsh  voices  of  men,  and  the  general 
buzz  of  a multitude.  There  is  very  much  that  is  highly 
grotesque  at  first  sight.  M^n  squat  on  the  floor  selling 
amulets,  rosaries,  printed  prayers,  incense  sticks,  and 
other  wares.  Ex  votos  of  all  kinds  hang  on  the  wall 
and  on  the  great  round  pillars.  Many  of  these  are  rude 
Japanese  pictures.  The  subject  of  one  is  the  blowing- 
up  of  a steamer  in  the  Sumidagawa  with  the  loss  of  100 
lives,  when  the  donor  was  saved  by  the  grace  of  Kwan- 
non.^  Numbers  of  memorials  are  from  people  who 

1 In  a native  Guide  to  Yedo,  the  date  of  this  Temple  of  Sensoji  is 
attributed  to  the  thirteenth  century,  and  its  origin  to  a noble  who  fell 
into  disgrace  at  Court,  and  having  become  a Ronin,  or  masterless  man, 
fell  into  such  straits  that  he  became  a fisherman.  One  day  he  went  U 


70 


UNBEATEN  TRACES  IN  JAPAN. 


offered  up  prayers  liere,  and  liave  been  restored  to 
liealtli  or  wealth.  Others  are  from  junk  men  whose 
lives  have  been  in  peril.  There  are  scores  of  men’s 
qiieues  and  a few  dusty  braids  of  women’s  hair  offered 
on  account  of  vows  or  prayers,  usually  for  sick  relatives, 
and  among  them  all,  on  the  left  hand,  are  a large  mirror 
in  a gaudily  gilt  frame,  and  a framed  picture  of  the  P. 
M.  S.  China  ! Above  this  incongruous  collection  are 
splendid  wood  carvings,  and  frescoes  of  angels,  among 
which  the  pigeons  find  a home  free  from  molestation. 

Near  the  entrance  there  is  a superb  incense  burner  in 
the  most  massive  style  of  the  older  bronzes,  ’\vith  a 
mythical  beast  rampant  upon  it,  and  in  high  relief  round 
it  the  Japanese  signs  of  the  zodiac,  the  rat,  os,  tiger, 
rabbit,  dragon,  serpent,  horse,  goat,  monkey,  cock,  dog, 
and  hog.  Clouds  of  incense  rise  continually  from  the 
perforations  round  the  edge,  and  a black-toothed  woman 
who  keeps  it  burning  is  perpetually  receiving  small 
coins  from  the  worshippers,  who  then  pass  on  to  the 
front  of  the  altar  to  pray.  The  high  altar,  and  indeed 
all  that  I should  regard  as  proj^erly  the  temple  are  pro- 
tected by  a screen  of  coarsely  netted  iron  wire.  This 
holy  of  holies  is  full  of  shrines  and  gods,  gigantic 
candlesticks,  colossal  lotuses  of  gilded  silver,  offerings^ 
lamps,  lacquer,  litany  books,  gongs,  drums,  bells,  and 
all  the  mysterious  symbols  of  a faith  which  is  a system 
of  morals  and  metaphysics  to  the  educated  and  initiated, 
and  an  idolatrous  superstition  to  the  masses.  In  this 
interior  the  light  was  dim,  the  lamps  burned  low,  the 
atmosphere  Avas  hea^y  with  incense,  and  amidst  its  fumes 
shaven  priests  in  chasubles  and  stoles  moved  noiselessly 

the  Sumida  to  fish,  but  at  every  cast  of  the  net  brought  up  only  a small 
figure  of  the  goddess  Kwan-non.  To  whatever  spot  he  sculled,  the 
same  luck  pursued  him,  so  carrving  home  the  image  he  enshrined  it, 
and  the  endowments  of  subsequent  devotees  raised  its  buildings  to  the 
dignity  of  being  the  first  temple  in  Teddo. 


PRAYERS  AND  PELLETS. 


n 


over  the  soft  matting  round  the  high  altar  on  wliich 
Kwan-non  is  enshrined,  lighting  candles,  striking  bells, 
and  murmuring  prayers.  In  front  of  the  screen  is  the 
treasury,  a wooden  chest  14  feet  by  10,  with  a deep  slit, 
into  which  all  the  worshippers  cast  copper  coins  with  a 
ceaseless  clinking  sound. 

There  too  they  pray,  if  that  can  be  called  prayer 
which  frequently  consists  only  in  the  repetition  of  an 
uncomprehended  phrase  in  a foreign  tongue,  bowing 
the  head,  raising  the  hands  and  rubbing  them,  murmur- 
ing a few  words,  telling  beads,  clapping  the  hands,  bow- 
ing again,  and  then  passing  out,  or  on  to  another  shrine 
to  repeat  the  same  form.  Merchants  in  silk  clotliing, 
soldiers  in  shabby  French  uniforms,  farmers,  coolies  in 
“ vile  raiment,”  mothers,  maidens,  swells  in  European 
clothes,  even  the  samurai  policemen,  bow  before  the 
goddess  of  mercy.  Most  of  the  prayers  were  offered 
rapidly,  a mere  momentary  interlude  in  the  gurgle  of 
careless  talk,  and  without  a pretence  of  reverence ; but 
some  of  the  petitioners  obviously  brought  real  woes  in 
simple  “ faith.”  I specially  noticed  two  men  in  stylish 
European  clothes,  who  prostrated  themselves  over  and 
over  again,  and  remained  before  the  altar  several 
minutes,  offering  low- voiced  prayers,  with  closed  eyes, 
and  every  sign  of  genuine  earnestness,  and  several 
women  in  obvious  distress,  probably  about  sick  persons, 
who  offered  their  prayers  with  a pleading  agony,  no  less 
real  than  that  which  ascends  to  our  Father  in  heaven 
from  anguished  hearts  in  England. 

In  one  shrine  there  is  a large  idol,  spotted  all  over 
with  pellets  of  paper,  and  hundreds  of  these  are  stick- 
ing to  the  wire  netting  which  protects  him.  A worship- 
per writes  his  petition  on  paper,  or  better  still,  has  it 
written  for  him  by  the  priest,  chews  it  to  a pulp,  and 
spits  it  at  the  divinity.  If,  having  been  well  aimed,  «1 


72 


UNBEATEN  TRACKS  IN  JAPAN. 


passes  through  the  wire  and  sticks,  it  is  a good  omen,  ii 
it  lodges  in  the  netting  the  prayer  has  probably  been 
unheard.  The  M-o,  and  some  of  the  gods  outside  the 
temple  are  similarly  disfigured.  On  the  left  there  is  a 
shrine  with  a screen,  to  the  bars  of  which  innumerable 
prayers  have  been  tied.  On  the  right,  accessible  to  all, 
sits  Binzuru,  one  of  Buddha’s  original  sixteen  disciples. 
His  face  and  appearance  have  been  calm  and  amiable, 
with  something  of  the  quiet  dignity  of  an  elderly  country 
gentleman  of  the  reign  of  George  III.,  but  he  is  now 
worn  and  defaced,  and  has  not  much  more  of  eyes,  nose, 
and  mouth,  than  the  Sphinx,  and  the  polished,  red 
lacquer  has  disappeared  from  his  hands  and  feet,  for 
Binzuru  is  a great  medicine  god,  and  centuries  of  sick 
people  have  rubbed  his  face  and  limbs,  and  then  have 
rubbed  their  own.  A young  woman  went  up  to  him, 
rubbed  the  back  of  his  neck,  and  then  rubbed  her  own. 
Then  a modest-looldng  girl,  leading  an  ancient  woman 
with  badly  inflamed  eyelids  and  paralysed  arms,  rubbed 
his  eyelids,  and  then  gently  stroked  the  closed  eyelids 
of  the  crone.  Then  a coolie,  with  a swelled  knee, 
applied  himself  vigorously  to  Binzuru’s  knee,  and  more 
gently  to  his  own.  Remember,  this  is  the  great  temple 
of  the  populace,  and  “ not  many  rich,  not  many  noble, 
not  many  mighty,”  enter  its  dim,  dirty,  crowded  halls.^ 

But  the  great  temple  to  Kwan-non  is  not  the  only 
sight  of  Asakusa.  Outside  it  are  countless  shrines  and 
temples,  huge  stone  Amainu,  or  heavenlj^  dogs,  on  rude 
blocks  of  stone,  large  cisterns  of  stone  and  bronze  with 
and  without  canopies,  containing  water  for  the  ablu- 
tions of  the  worshippers,  cast  iron  Amainu  on  hewn 

1 I visited  this  temple  alone  many  times  afterwards,  and  each  visit 
deepened  the  interest  of  my  first  impressions.  There  is  always  enough 
of  change  and  novelty  to  prevent  the  interest  from  flagging,  and  the 
mild  but  profoundly  superstitions  form  of  heathenism  which  prevails  it 
Japan  is  nowhere  better  represented. 


PRAYERS  AND  PELLETS. 


73 


stone  pedestals  — a recent  gift  — bronze  and  stone 
lanterns,  a stone  prayer-wheel  in  a stone  post,  figures  ol 
Buddha  with  the  serene  countenance  of  one  who  rests 
from  his  labours,  stone  idols,  on  which  devotees  have 
pasted  slips  of  paper  inscribed  with  prayers,  with  sticks 


of  incense  rising  out  of  the  ashes  of  hundreds  of  former 
sticks  smouldering  before  them,  blocks  of  hewn  stone 
with  Cliinese  and  Sanskrit  inscriptions,  an  eight-sided 
temple  in  which  are  figures  of  the  “ Five  Hundred  Die 
ciples  ” of  Buddha,  a temple  with  the  roof  and  upper 
part  of  the  walls  richly  coloured,  the  circular  Shint3 
mirror  in  an  inner  shi-ine,  a bronze  treasury  outside  with 
a bell  which  is  rung  to  attract  the  god’s  attention,  a 
striking  five-storied  pagoda,  with  much  red  lacquer,  and 
the  ends  of  the  roof-beams  very  boldly  carved,  its  heavy 
eaves  fringed  with  wind  bells,  and  its  uppermost  rooi 


74 


UNBEATEN  TRACKS  IN  JAPAN. 


termiDatiug  in  a graceful  copper  spiral  of  great  height, 
with  the  “sacred  pearl”  surrounded  by  flames  for  its 
finial.  Near  it,  as  near  most  temples,  is  an  upright  frame 
of  plain  wood  with  tablets,  on  wliich  are  inscribed  the 
names  of  donors  to  the  temple,  and  the  amount  of  their 
gifts. 

Among  the  many  shrines  is  an  Inari  or  Fox  temple, 
fox-worship  being  one  of  the  most  universal  supersti- 
tions in  Japan.  The  foxes,  however,  are  only  the  ser- 
vants of  a mythical  personage  named  Uga,  to  whom  is 
ascribed  the  honour  of  the  discovery  and  cultivation  of 
the  rice  plant.  Popularly,  however,  the  honours  due 
to  Inari  Sama  (the  name  under  which  Uga  was  deified) 
are  paid  to  his  servants.  Before  two  gilded  foxes  in 
this  shrine  there  was  a tray  on  which  smaU  bowls  of 
rice  and  foxes  moulded  in  sugar  were  placed  as  offer- 
ings. Shinto  goliei,  strips  of  paper  cut  and  folded  in  a 
special  fashion,  and  usually  attached  to  a white  wand, 
and  supposed  to  represent  the  ShintO  hami,  or  gods, 
who  are  simply  deified  heroes,  were  in  the  same  temple, 
and  there  were  Shinto  torii  in  wood  and  stone  near  the 
entrance. 

There  is  a handsome  stone-floored  temple  to  the  south 
east  of  the  juain  building,  to  which  we  were  the  sole 
visitors.  It  is  lofty  and  very  richly  decorated.  In  the 
centre  is  an  octagonal  revolving  room,  or  rather  shrine 
of  rich  red  lacquer  most  gorgeously  ornamented.  It 
rests  on  a frame  of  carved  black  lacquer,  and  has  a 
lacquer  gallery  running  round  it,  on  wliich  several 
richly  decorated  doors  open.  On  the  application  of 
several  shoulders  to  this  gallery  the  shrine  rotates.  It 
is  in  fact  a revolving  library  of  the  Buddhist  Scriptirres, 
and  a single  turn  is  equivalent  to  a single  pious  perusal 
of  them.  It  is  an  exceedingly  beautiful  specimen  ol 
ancient  decorative  lacquer  work.  At  the  back  part 


ARCHERY  GALLERIES. 


of  the  temple  is  a draped  brass  figure  of  Buddha,  with 
one  hand  raised  — a dignified  piece  of  casting.  All 
the  Buddhas  have  Hindoo  features,  and  the  graceful 
drapery  and  Oriental  repose  which  have  been  imported 
from  India  contrast  singularly  with  the  grotesque  ex- 
travagances of  the  indigenous  Japanese  conceptions. 
In  the  same  temple  are  four  monstrously  extravagant 
figures  carved  in  wood,  life  size,  with  clawed  toes  on 
their  feet,  and  two  great  fangs  in  addition  to  the  teeth 
in  each  mouth.  The  heads  of  all  are  surrounded  with 
flames,  and  are  backed  by  golden  circlets.  They  are 
extravagantly  clothed,  in  garments  which  look  as  if 
they  were  agitated  by  a violent  wind ; they  wear  hel- 
mets and  partial  suits  of  armour,  and  hold  in  their  right 
hands  something  between  a monarch’s  sceptre  and  a 
priest’s  staff.  They  have  goggle  eyes  and  open  mouths, 
and  their  faces  are  in  distorted  and  exaggerated  action. 
One,  painted  bright  red,  tramples  on  a writhing  devil 
painted  bright  pink,  another,  painted  emerald  green, 
tramples  on  a sea-green  devil,  an  indigo  blue  monster 
tramples  on  a sky-blue  fiend,  and  a bright  pink  monster 
treads  under  his  clawed  feet  a flesh-coloured  demon.  I 
cannot  give  you  any  idea  of  the  hideousness  of  their 
aspect,  and  was  much  inclined  to  sympathise  with  the 
more  innocent-looking  fiends  whom  they  were  maltreat- 
ing. They  occur  very  frequently  in  Buddhist  temples, 
and  are  said  by  some  to  be  assistant  torturers  to  Yem- 
ma,  the  lord  of  hell,  and  are  called  by  others  “ The 
gods  of  the  Four  Quarters.” 

The  temple  grounds  are  a most  extraordinary  sight. 
No  English  fair  in  the  palmiest  days  of  fairs  ever  pre- 
sented such  an  array  of  attractions.  Behind  the  temple 
are  archery  galleries  in  numbers,  where  girls,  hardly  so 
modest-looking  as  usual,  smile  and  smirk,  and  bring 
straw-coloured  tea  in  dainty  cups,  and  tasteless  sweet 


76 


UNBEATEN  TRACKS  IN  JAPAN. 


meats  on  lacquer  trays,  and  smoke  their  tiny  pipes,  and 
offer  you  bows  of  slender  bamboo  strips,  two  feet  long, 
with  rests  for  the  arrows,  and  tiny  cherry-wood  arrows, 
bone-tipped,  and  feathered  red,  blue,  and  white,  and 
smilingly,  but  quite  unobtrusively,  ask  you  to  try  your 
skill  or  luck  at  a target  hanging  in  front  of  a square 
drum,  flanked  by  red  cushions.  A click,  a boom,  or  a 
hardly  audible  “thud”  indicate  the  result.  Nearly  all 
the  archers  were  grown-up  men,  and  many  of  them 
spend  hours  at  a time  in  this  childish  sport. 

All  over  the  grounds  booths  with  the  usual  charcoal 
fire,  copper  boiler,  iron  kettle  of  curious  workmanship, 
tiny  cups,  fragrant  aroma  of  tea,  and  winsome,  graceful 
girls,  invite  you  to  drink  and  rest,  and  more  solid  but 
less  inviting  refreshments  are  also  to  be  had.  Rows  of 
pretty  paper  lanterns  decorate  all  the  stalls.  Then  there 
are  photograph  galleries,  mimic  tea-gardens,  tableaux  in 
which  a large  number  of  groups  of  life-size  figures  with 
appropriate  scenery  are  put  into  motion  by  a creaking 
wheel  of  great  size,  matted  lounges  for  rest,  stands  with 
saucers  of  rice,  beans  and  peas  for  offerings  to  the  gods, 
the  pigeons,  and  the  two  sacred  horses.  Albino  ponies, 
with  pink  eyes  and  noses,  revoltingly  greedy  creatures, 
eating  all  day  long  and  still  craving  for  more.  There 
are  booths  for  singing  and  dancing,  and  under  one  a 
professional  story-teller  was  reciting  to  a densely  packed 
crowd  one  of  the  old,  popular  stories  of  crime.  There 
are  booths  where  for  a few  rin  you  may  have  the  pleas- 
ure of  feeding  some  very  ugly  and  greedy  apes,  or  of 
watching  mangy  monkeys  which  have  been  taught  to 
prostrate  themselves  Japanese  fashion.  One  of  the 
greatest  sights  is  a collection  of  tableaux,  life-size 
figures,  the  work  of  one  artist  who,  after  visiting  the 
thirty-three  great  temples  of  the  goddess  of  mercy, 
w,as  so  impressed  by  her  power  and  goodness  that  he 


JAPANESE  FLORICULTURE. 


77 


created  thirty-five  groups,  in  order  to  show  his  country- 
men the  benefits  of  her  cultus.  I'hese  figures  are  won- 
dei’fully  true  to  life,  and  wear  real  garments.  In  most 
of  the  tableaux  the  goddess  is  represented  as  a lovely 
and  gentle  woman  — a Madonna,  but  with  divine  power. 
Mr.  Griffis,  in  The  Mikado's  Empire,  gives  an  interesting 
account  of  each.  The  two  most  curious,  as  representing 
two  articles  of  the  Buddhist  faith  — future  punishment 
and  metempsychosis  — are  tableaux  of  a hungry  robber 
appropriating  the  temple  offerings,  with  a painting  near 
him  showing  his  coming  destiny,  in  which  there  are 
devils  and  a red-hot  cart  with  axles  of  fire,  and  one  of  a 
man  suffering  from  violent  headache,  who  is  directed 
by  Kwan-non  to  the  spot  where  the  buried  skull  which 
belonged  to  him  in  a former  state  of  existence  is  being 
split  open  by  the  root  of  a tree  which  is  growing  through 
the  eye-socket.  On  removing  the  root  the  pain  ceases  ! 
The  catalogue  of  sights  is  only  half  exhausted.  Besides 
the  regular  sights,  there  are  gardens  to  the  left  of  the 
temple,  in  which  dwarf  azaleas  are  still  blooming,  and 
which  display  to  thousands  of  admirers  the  great  floral 
sights  of  Japan  in  their  turn,  camellias  in  January, 
plum-blossoms  in  early  March,  cherry-blossoms  in  April, 
the  sacred  lotus  in  July,  and  chrysanthemums  in  No- 
vember. The  Japanese  are  passionately  fond  of  certain 
flowers,  and  the  “cherry  viewing,”  the  “iris  and  peony 
viewing,”  the  “lotus  viewing,”  and  the  “maple  view- 
ing,” are  excursions  which  are  part  of  the  annual  rou- 
tine of  Japanese  life.  The  badges  of  many  of  the  most 
celebrated  families  are  floral.  The  Imperial  or  public 
badge  of  the  Mikado  is  an  open  chrysanthemum  with 
sixteen  petals ; his  palace,  or  private  badge  represents 
blossoms  and  leaves  of  Paulownia  Imperialis,  and  the 
celebrated  badge  of  the  ShQguns  of  the  Tokugawa  dy- 
nasty is  three  leaves  of  a species  of  mallow,  united  at 


78 


UNBEATEN  TRACKS  IN  JAPAN. 


tlieir  tips.  But  in  the  Asakusa  gardens  at  this  seasoii 
it  is  less  the  natural  than  the  artificial  beauties  which 
attract.  Much  of  the  “highest  art”  in  Japanese  gar- 
dening consists  in  distorting,  deforming,  dwarfing,  ex- 
aggerating, and  thwarting  nature.  The  borders  are 
clipped  tea-plants,  shrubs  and  trees  are  carefully  trained 
and  clipped  into  the  likeness  of  umbrellas,  boats,  houses, 
men  with  foreign  hats,  tortoises,  storks,  and  cats,  and 
the  beloved  form  of  Fuji  is  represented  several  times. 
It  is  curious  that  the  gardeners  choose  the  most  rigid 
and  intractable  of  pines,  the  Pinus  massoniana  or 
Pinus  parvifiora  for  their  most  difficult  experiments, 
and  that  the  same  pines  are  subject  to  operations  for 
the  production  of  dwarfishness  and  deformity  in  almost 
every  garden  in  Japan.  There  are  guilds  of  florists, 
the  occupation  is  hereditary,  and  different  families  pos- 
sess hereditar}^  skill  in  the  different  deformities  which 
are  produced.  Carefidly  dwarfed  trees  of  various 
kinds,  strange  variegation  of  leaves  and  flowers,  pains- 
taking exaggerations  of  calyx,  corolla,  or  pistil,  and 
careful  development  and  perpetuation  of  sundry  strange 
freaks  of  nature,  make  these  gardens  no  less  than  the 
grand  forest  trees  left  to  their  own  ways,  both  in  them 
and  the  temple  courts,  very  interesting  to  a new  comer. 

But  here,  as  everywhere,  people  interested  me  more 
than  things.  Their  devout  but  more  frequently  irrev- 
erent worship,  their  gross  and  puerile  superstitions,  the 
total  absence  of  beggars  and  disorderly  characters,  the 
childish  amusements  of  men  and  women,  the  formal 
dress  and  gravity  of  children,  the  singular  mixture  of 
religion  and  amusement,  the  extreme  but  not  disrespect- 
ful curiosity  with  which  foreigners  are  still  regarded, 
the  absence  of  groups  in  which  father,  mother,  and 
children,  enjoy  themselves  together,  yet  the  perfect  free- 
dom with  which  women  move  among  men,  the  attention 


WESTERN  INNOVATIONS. 


79 


paid  to  children  by  parents  of  both  sexes,  the  dinainutive 
size  of  the  people,  the  exposed  but  modest  faces  of  the 
women,  tlie  clean  and  well-dressed  appearance  of  all, 
their  extreme  quietness,  the  courtesy  and  good  order 
preserved  by  the  thousands  who  thronged  the  temple 
and  its  grounds  during  the  afternoon,  and  the  fact  that 
not  a single  policeman  was  present,  made  a deep  im- 
pression upon  me. 

Though  the  women,  especially  the  girls,  are  modest, 
gentle,  and  pleasing-looking,  I saw  nothing  like  even 
passable  good  looks.  The  noses  are  flat,  the  lips  thick, 
and  the  eyes  of  the  sloping  Mongolian  type ; and  the 
common  custom  of  shaving  off  the  eyebrows  and  black- 
ening the  teeth  (though  less  common  in  TOkiyd  than 
formerly),  together  with  an  obvious  lack  of  soul,  give 
nearly  all  faces  an  inane,  vacant  expression.  The  nar- 
row, scanty  dresses  enable  one  to  judge  of  the  fhynque., 
and  physically  they  look  below  par,  as  if  the  race 
were  wearing  out.  Their  shoulders  are  round  and 
very  falling,  their  chests  and  hips  narrow,  their  hands 
and  feet  very  small,  their  stature  from  four  feet  eight 
inches  to  five  feet  one  inch.  They  look  as  if  a girl 
passed  from  girlhood  to  middle  age  almost  at  once 
when  weighted  with  the  cares  of  maternity.  The  chil- 
dren look  too  big  and  heavy  to  be  carried  pick-a-back 
by  their  little  mothers,  and  they  too  look  deficient  in 
robust  vitality,  and  dwindle  as  they  grow  up.  The 
men  don’t  look  much  better.  They  are  usually  from 
five  feet  to  five  feet  five  inches,  and  their  physique  is 
wretched,  leanness  without  muscle  being  the  general 
rule.  They  impress  me  as  the  ugliest  and  the  most 
pleasing  people  I have  ever  seen,  as  well  as  the  neat- 
est and  most  ingenious. 

I’his  letter  is  far  too  long,  but  to  pass  over  Asakusa 
and  its  novelties  when  the  impression  of  them  is  fresli 


80 


UNBEATEN  TRACKS  IN  JAPAN. 


would  be  to  omit  one  of  the  most  interesting  sights  in 
J apan.  On  the  way  back  we  passed  red  mail-carts  like 
those  in  London,  a squadron  of  cavalry  in -European 
uniforms  and  with  European  saddles,  and  the  carriage 
of  the  Minister  of  Marine,  an  English  brougham  with  a 
pair  of  horses  in  English  harness,  and  an  escort  of  sis 
troopers  — a painful  precaution  adopted  since  the  polit- 
ical assassination  of  Okubo,  the  Home  Minister,  three 
weeks  ago.  So  the  old  and  the  new  in  this  great  city 
contrast  with  and  jostle  each  other.  The  Mikado  and 
his  ministers,  naval  and  military  officers  and  men,  the 
whole  of  the  civil  officials  and  the  police,  wear  European 
clothes,  as  well  as  a number  of  dissipated-looking  young 
men  who  aspire  to  represent  “young  Japan.”  Car- 
riages, and  houses  in  English  style,  with  carpets,  chairs, 
and  tables,  are  becoming  increasingly  numerous,  and 
the  bad  taste  which  regulates  the  purchase  of  foreign 
furnishings  is  as  marked  as  the  good  taste  which  every- 
where presides  over  the  adornment  of  the  houses  in 
purely  Japanese  style.  Happily  these  expensive  and 
unbecoming  innovations  have  scarcely  affected  female 
dress,  and  some  ladies  who  adopted  our  fashions  have 
given  them  up  because  of  their  discomfort  and  manifold 
difficulties  and  complications. 

The  Empress  on  State  occasions  appears  in  scarlet 
satin  halcama,  and  flowing  robes,  and  she  and  the  Court 
ladies  mvariably  wear  the  national  costume.  I have 
only  seen  two  ladies  in  European  dress ; and  this  was 
at  a dinner  party  here,  and  they  were  the  wives  of  Mr. 
Mori  the  go-ahead  Vice-Minister  for  Foreign  affairs,  and 
of  the  Japanese  Consul  at  Hong  Kong;  and  both  by 
long  residence  abroad  have  learned  to  wear  it  with  ease. 
The  wife  of  Saigo  the  Minister  of  Education  called  one 
day  in  an  exquisite  Japanese  dress  of  dove-coloured  silk 
cripe.,  with  a pale  pink  underdress  of  the  same  material, 


AN  IJLSGANTE. 


81 


which  showed  a little  at  the  neck  and  sleeves.  Her 
girdle  was  of  rich  dove-coloured  silk,  with  a ghost  of  a 
pale  pink  blossom  hovering  upon  it  here  and  there.  She 
had  no  frills  or  fripperies  of  any  description,  or  orna- 
ments except  a single  pin  in  her  chignon,  and  with  a 
sweet  and  charming  face  she  looked  as  graceful  and 
dignified  in  her  Japanese  costume  as  she  would  have 
looked  exactly  the  reverse  in  ours.  Their  costume  has 
one  striking  advantage  over  ours.  A woman  is  perfect- 
ly clothed  if  she  has  one  garment  and  a girdle  on,  and 
perfectly  dressed  if  she  has  two.  There  is  a difference 
in  features  and  expression,  much  exaggerated,  however, 
by  Japanese  artists,  between  the  faces  of  high-born 
women  and  those  of  the  middle  and  lower  classes.  I 
decline  to  admire  fat  faces,  pug  noses,  thick  lips,  long 
eyes,  turned  up  at  the  outer  corners,  and  complexions 
which  owe  much  to  powder  and  paint.  The  habit  of 
painting  the  lips  with  a reddish-yellow  pigment,  and  of 
heavily  powdering  the  face  and  throat  with  pearl  pow- 
der, is  a repulsive  one.  But  it  is  hard  to  pronounce 
any  unfavourable  criticism  on  women  who  have  so 
much  kindly  grace  of  manner.  I.  L.  B. 


82 


UNBEATEN  TBACEH  IN  JAPAN. 


THE  JOURNEY  BEGUN. 

Fears  — Travelling  Equipments  — Passports  — Coolie  Costume  ~ A 
Yedo  Diorama  — Eice  Culture  — Tea  Houses  — A Traveller’s  Re- 
ception — The  Inn  at  Kasukab6  — Lack  of  Privacy  — A Concourse 
of  Noises  — A Nocturnal  Alarm  — A Vision  of  Policemen  — A 
Budget  from  Yedo. 

KAstJKAB^,  June  10. 

From  the  date  you  will  see  that  I have  started  on  my 
long  journey,  though  not  upon  the  “ unbeaten  tracks  ” 
which  I hope  to  take  after  leaving  NikkS,  and  my  first 
evening  alone  in  the  midst  of  this  crowded  Asian  life  is 
strange,  almost  fearful.  I have  suffered  from  nervous- 
ness all  day  — the  fear  of  being  frightened,  of  being 
rudely  mobbed  as  threatened  by  l\Ir.  Campbell  of  Islay, 
of  giving  offence  by  transgressing  the  rules  of  Japanese 
politeness  — of,  I know  not  what  I Ito  is  my  sole  reh- 
ance,  and  he  may  prove  a “broken  reed.”  I often 
wished  to  give  up  my  project,  but  was  ashamed  of  my 
cowardice  when,  on  the  best  authority,  I received  assur- 
ances of  its  safety.^ 

The  preparations  were  finished  yesterday,  and  my 
outfit  weighed  110  lbs.,  wliich,  with  Tto’s  weight  of  90 
lbs.,  is  as  much  as  can  be  carried  by  an  average  Japan- 
ese horse.  jMy  two  painted  wicker-boxes  lined  with 
paper  and  with  waterproof  covers  are  convenient  for 
the  two  sides  of  a pack-horse.  1 have  a folding-chair  — 

' The  list  of  my  equipments  is  given  as  a help  to  future  travellers, 
especially  ladies,  who  desire  to  travel  long  distances  in  the  interior  of 
Japan.  One  wicker  basket  is  enough,  as  I afterwards  found. 


TRAVELLING  EQUIPMENTS. 


83 


for  in  a Japanese  house  there  is  nothing  but  the  floor  to 
sit  upon,  and  not  even  a solid  wall  to  lean  against  — an 
air-pillow  for  kuruma  travelling,  an  india-rubber  bath, 
sheets,  a blanket,  and  last,  and  more  important  than  all 
else,  a canvas  stretcher  on  light  poles,  which  can  be  pul 
together  in  two  minutes ; and  being  2^  feet  high  is  sup- 
posed to  be  secure  from  fleas.  The  “Food  Question’" 
has  been  solved  by  a modified  rejection  of  all  advicic ! 
I have  only  brought  a small  supply  of  Liebig’s  extract 
of  meat,  4 lbs.  of  raisins,  some  chocolate,  both  for  eat- 
ing and  drinking,  and  some  brandy  in  case  of  need.  I 
have  my  own  Mexican  saddle  and  bridle,  a reasonable 
quantity  of  clothes,  including  a loose  wrapper  for  wear- 
ing in  the  evening,  some  candles,  Mr.  Bruhton’s  large 
map  of  Japan,  volumes  of  the  Transactions  of  the  Eng- 
lish Asiatic  Society,  and  Mr.  Satow’s  Anglo- Japanese 
Dictionary.  My  travelling  dress  is  a short  costume 
of  dust-coloured  striped  tweed,  with  strong  laced  boots  of 
unblacked  leather,  and  a Japanese  hat,  shaped  like  a 
large  inverted  bowl,  of  light  bamboo  plait,  with  a white 
cotton  cover,  and  a very  light  frame  inside,  which  fits 
round  the  brow  and  leaves  a space  of  I2  inch  between 
the  hat  and  the  head  for  the  free  circulation  of  air.  It 
only  weighs  2^  ounces,  and  is  infinitely  to  be  preferred 
to  a heavy  pith  helmet,  anfi,  light  as  it  is,  it  protects  the 
head  so  thoroughly,  that  though  the  sun  has  been  un- 
clouded all  day  and  the  mercury  at  86°,  no  other  pro- 
tection has  been  necessary.  My  money  is  in  bundles 
of  50  yen.,  and  50,  20,  and  10  sen  notes,  besides  which  I 
have  some  rouleaux  of  copper  coins.  I have  a bag  for 
my  passport,  which  hangs  to  my  waist.  All  my  lug- 
gage, with  the  exception  of  my  saddle,  which  I use  for 
a footstool,  goes  into  one  kuruma,  and  Ito,  who  is  lim- 
ited to  12  lbs.,  takes  his  along  with  him. 

I have  three  kurumas,  which  are  to  go  to  Nikk8 


84 


UNBEATEN  TRACKS  IN  JAPAN. 


ninety  miles,  in  three  clays,  without  change  of  ronners, 
for  about  eleven  shillings  each. 

Passports  usually  define  the  route  over  which  the 
foreigner  is  to  travel,  but  in  this  case  Sir  H.  Parkes  has 
obtained  one  which  is  practically  unrestricted,  for  it 
permits  me  to  travel  through  all  Japan  north  of  Tokiyo 
and  in  Yezo  without  specifying  any  route.  This  pre- 
cious document,  without  winch  I should  be  liable  to  be 
arrested  and  forwarded  to  my  consid,  is  of  course  in 
Japanese,  but  the  cover  gives  in  English  the  regulations 
under  which  it  is  issued.  A passport  must  be  applied 
for,  for  reasons  of  “ health,  botanical  research,  or  scien- 
tific investigation.”  Its  bearer  must  not  light  fires  in 
woods,  attend  fires  on  horseback,  trespass  on  fields,  en- 
closures, or  game-preserves,  scribble  on  temples,  shrines, 
or  walls,  drive  fast  on  a narrow  road,  or  disregard 
notices  of  “No  thoroughfare.”  He  must  “conduct 
himself  in  an  orderly  and  conciliating  manner  towards 
the  Japanese  authorities  and  people ; ” he  “ must  pro- 
duce his  passport  to  any  officials  who  may  demand  it,” 
under  pain  of  arrest;  and  while  in  the  interior  “is  for- 
bidden to  shoot,  trade,  to  conclude  mercantile  contracts 
with  Japanese,  or  to  rent  houses  or  rooms  for  a longer 
period  than  his  journey  requires.” 

NikkQ,  June  13.  — This  is  one  of  the  paradises  of 
Japan ! It  is  a proverbial  saying,  “ He  Avho  has  not 
seen  Nikk6  must  not  use  the  word  kek’ko  ” (splendid, 
delicious,  beautiful)  ; but  of  this  more  hereafter.  Hy 
attempt  to  write  to  you  from  Kasukabd  failed,  owing  to 
the  onslaught  of  an  army  of  fleas,  which  compelled  me 
to  retreat  to  my  stretcher,  and  the  last  two  nights,  for 
this  and  other  reasons,  writing  has  been  out  of  the 
question. 

I left  the  Legation  at  11  A.M.  on  Monday  and  reached 
Kasukab4  at  6 PAr,,  the  runners  keeping  up  an  easy 


COOLIE  COSTUME. 


85 


trot  the  whole  journey  of  twenty- three  miles ; but  the 
halts  for  smoking  and  eating  were  frequent. 

These  ^Mrwwia-runners  wore  short  blue  cotton  draw- 
ers, girdles  with  tobacco  pouch  and  pipe  attached,  short 
blue  cotton  shirts  with  wide  sleeves,  and  open  in  front, 
reaching  to  their  waists,  and  blue  cotton  handkerchiefs 
knotted  round  their  heads,  except  when  the  sun  was 


A KtTBUlklA. 


very  hot,  when  they  took  the  flat,  flag  discs  two  feet  in 
diameter,  which  always  hang  behind  ktmimas,  and  are 
used  either  in  sun  or  rain,  and  tied  them  on  their  heads. 
They  wore  straw  sandals,  which  had  to  be  replaced 
twice  on  the  way.  Blue  and  white  towels  hung  from 
the  shafts  to  wipe  away  the  sweat,  which  ran  profusely 
down  the  lean,  brown  bodies.  The  upper  garment 
always  flew  behind  them,  displaying  chests  and  backs 


86 


UNBEATEN  TRACKS  IN  JAPAN. 


elaborately  tattooed  with  dragons  and  fishes.  Tattoo- 
ing has  recently  been  prohibited ; but  it  was  not  only  a 
favourite  adornment,  but  a substitute  for  perishable 
clothing. 

Most  of  the  men  of  the  lower  classes  wear  their  hah 
in  a very  ugly  fashion,  — the  front  and  top  of  the  head 
being  shaved,  the  long  hair  from  the  back  and  sides 
being  drawn  up  and  tied,  then  waxed,  tied  again,  and 
cut  short  off,  the  stiff  queue  being  brought  forward  and 
laid,  pointing  forwards,  along  the  back  part  of  the  top 
of  the  head.  This  top-knot  is  shaped  much  like  a short 
clay  pipe.  The  shaving  and  dressing  the  hah  thus  re- 
quire the  skill  of  a professional  barber.  Formerly  the 
hair  was  worn  in  this  way  by  the  samurai,  in  order  that 
the  helmet  might  fit  comfortably,  but  it  is  now  the  style 
of  the  lower  classes  mostlj^  and  by  no  means  invariably. 

Blithely,  at  a merry  trot,  the  coolies  hurried  us  away 
from  the  kindly  group  in  the  Legation  porch,  across  the 
inner  moat  and  along  the  inner  drive  of  the  castle, 
past  gateways  and  retaining  walls  of  C3mlopean  ma- 
sonry, across  the  second  moat,  along  miles  of  streets  of 
sheds  and  shops,  all  grey,  thronged  with  foot-passengers 
and  kurumas,  with  packliorses  loaded  two  or  three  feet 
above  their  backs,  the  arches  of  their  saddles  red  and 
gilded  lacquer,  their  frontlets  of  red  leather,  their 
“ shoes  ” straw  sandals,  their  heads  tied  tightly  to  the 
saddle-girth  on  either  side,  great  white  cloths  figured 
with  mythical  beasts  in  blue  hanging  down  loosely 
under  their  bodies ; with  coolies  di-agging  heavy  loads 
to  the  guttural  cry  of  Hai ! huida ! with  children 
whose  heads  were  shaved  in  liideous  patterns;  and 
now  and  then,  as  if  to  point  a moral  lesson  in  the 
midst  ol  the  whirling  diorama,  a funeral  passed  through 
the  throng,  with  a priest  in  rich  robes,  mmnbling 
praj'ers,  a covered  barrel  containing  the  corpse,  and 


EICE  CULTURE. 


87 


a train  of  mourners  in  blue  dresses  with  white  wings. 
Then  we  came  to  the  fringe  of  Yedo,  where  the  houses 
cease  to  be  continuous,  but  all  that  day  there  was  little 
interval  between  them.  All  had  open  fronts,  so  that 
the  occupations  of  the  inmates,  the  “ domestic  life  ” in 
fact,  were  perfectly  visible.  Many  of  these  houses 
were  road-side  chayas,  or  tea-houses,  and  nearly  all 
sold  sweetmeats,  dried  fish,  pickles,  moclii^  or  uncooked 
cakes  of  rice  dough,  dried  persimmons,  rain  hats,  or 
straw  shoes  for  man  or  beast.  The  road,  though  wide 
enough  for  two  carriages  (of  which  we  saw  none),  was 
not  good,  and  the  ditches  on  both  sides  were  frequently 
neither  clean  nor  sweet.  Must  I write  it?  The  houses 
were  mean,  poor,  shabby,  often  even  squalid,  the  smells 
were  bad,  and  the  people  looked  ugly,  shabby,  and 
poor,  though  all  were  worldng  at  something  or  other. 

The  country  is  a dead  level,  and  mainly  an  artificial 
mud  fiat  or  swamp,  in  whose  fertile  ooze  various 
aquatic  birds  were  wading,  and  in  which  hundreds  of 
men  and  women  were  wading  too,  above  their  knees 
in  slush;  for  this  plain  of  Yedo  is  mainly  a great  rice- 
field,  and  this  is  the  busy  season  of  rice-planting ; for 
here,  in  the  sense  in  which  we  understand  it,  they  do 
not  “cast  their  bread  upon  the  waters.”  There  are 
eight  or  nine  leading  varieties  of  rice  grown  in  Japan, 
all  of  which,  except  an  upland  species,  require  mud, 
water,  and  much  puddling  and  nasty  work.  Rice  is 
the  staple  food  and  the  wealth  of  Japan.  Its  revenues 
were  estimated  in  rice.  Rice  is  grown  almost  wher- 
ever irrigation  is  possible. 

The  grain,  after  being  soaked  till  it  is  on  the  verge 
of  sprouting,  is  sown  thickly  in  small  patches,  which 
are  flooded  every  night  to  a depth  of'  two  or  three 
Inches,  and  dried  off  during  the  day.  When  the  seed- 
lings are  well  up,  fish  manure  or  refuse  oil  is  put  ovei 


88 


UNBEATEN  TRACKS  IN  JAPAN. 


them  to  force  them  on,  and  in  about  fifty  days,  when 
the  patch  is  covered  with  plants  about  three  inches 
high,  whose  brilliant  green  gladdens  the  eye  just  now 
all  about  Yokohama,  the  people  take  them  up  in  bun- 
dles of  three  or  four,  and  plant  them  in  tufts,  in  lines, 
leaving  a foot  between  each  tuft  as  well  as  between 
each  line.  The  planting,  however,  is  by  no  means 
general  yet,  and  I saw  a great  deal  of  a preliminary 
operation,  in  which  a horse  with  a straw  saddle,  to 
which  an  instrument  composed  of  several  deep  teeth  is 
attached,  travels  up  and  down  iu  the  slush,  followed  by 
a man  who  guides  him,  not  by  reins,  but  by  a long 
bamboo  attached  to  the  side  of  his  nose.  This  process 
tears  up  the  old  rice  roots,  disintegrates  the  soil,  and 
mixes  up  the  manure  with  it ; for  the  rice-fields  are 
very  heavily  manured  — as  are  all  Japanese  crops  — 
with  everything  which  is  supposed  to  possess  fertilising 
qualities.  Where  this  ploughing  was  over,  a thick 
bubbly  scum  lay  on  the  black  water,  giving  off  the 
smell  of  a “ pestilent  fen  ” under  the  hot  sun. 

Rice  is  commonly  planted  in  fields  formed  by  terra- 
cing sloping  ground,  in  which  case  irrigation  is  easily 
obtained ; but  on  this  level  plain,  water  is  laboriously 
raised  from  the  main  canals  into  narrow  ditches  at  a 
higher  level,  by  means  of  a portable  and  very  ingenious 
'‘treadmill”  pump,  which  is  made  to  revolve  in  a sci- 
entifically constructed  trough,  by  a man  who  perpet- 
ually ascends  its  floats.  It  somewhat  resembles  a pad- 
i'c  wheel  of  eight  feet  in  diameter.  When  irrigation 
is  wanted  at  any  particular  spot,  this  contrivance  is 
carried  to  the  intersection  of  the  higher  with  the  lower 
?^litch,  and  fixed  there  with  bamboo  uprights  on  each 
side,  with  a rail  across  to  give  support  to  the  man  who 
works  it  with  his  feet,  just  as  the  tread-wheel  is  worked 
in  prison.  When  the  pump  is  needed  elsewhere  it  is 


RICE  Culture. 


89 


only  n 3cessary  to  remove  it,  and  bank  up  the  cutting 
in  the  dyke.  As  far  as  I could  see  across  the  slush, 
there  were  wheels  at  work,  up  which  copper-skinned 
men,  naked,  except  for  the  maro  or  loin-cloth,  were 
industriously  climbing. 

The  rice-fields  are  usually  very  small  and  of  all 
shapes.  A quarter  of  an  acre  is  a good-sized  field. 
The  rice-crop  planted  in  June  is  not  reaped  till  Novem- 
ber, but  in  the  meantime  it  needs  to  be  “ puddled  ” three 
times,  i.e.  for  all  the  people  to  turn  into  the  slush,  and 
grub  out  all  the  weeds  and  tangled  aquatic  plants, 
which  weave  themselves  from  tuft  to  tuft,  and  puddle 
up  the  mud  afresh  round  the  roots.  It  grows  in  water 
till  it  is  ripe,  when  the  fields  are  dried  off.  An  acre  of 
the  best  land  produces  annually  about  fifty-four  bush- 
els of  rice,  and  of  the  worst  about  thirty. 

On  the  plain  of  Yedo,  besides  the  nearly  continuous 
villages  along  the  causewayed  road,  there  are  islands, 
as  they  may  be  called,  of  villages  surrounded  by  trees, 
and  hundreds  of  pleasant  oases  on  which  wheat  ready 
for  the  sickle,  onions,  millet,  beans,  and  peas,  were 
flourishing.  There  were  lotus  ponds  too  in  which  the 
glorious  lily,  Nelumbo  nucifera,  is  being  grown  for  the 
sacrilegious  purpose  of  being  eaten ! Its  splendid  clas- 
sical leaves  are  already  a foot  above  the  water.  A spe- 
cies of  Sagittaria  is  also  grown  in  water  for  food,  but 
both  it  and  the  lotus  are  luxuries.  There  are  neither 
hedges  nor  fences  anywhere,  but  the  peasant  proprie- 
tors  are  well  acquainted  with  their  boundaries,  and  no 
land-gluttons  have  arisen  yet  to  add  “field  to  field.” 
Except  that  in  some  cases  horses  and  oxen  are  used  for 
ploughing  the  riee-fields,  the  whole  cultivation  is  by 
hand,  and  not  a weed  is  to  be  seen.  Rows  of  the 
Paulownia  Imperialism  grown  for  the  sake  of  the  light- 
ness of  its  wood,  which  is  used  for  making  clogs,  do 
not  improve  the  somewhat  m'^notonous  landscape. 


90 


UNBEATEN  TRACES  IN  JAPAN. 


After  running  cheerily  for  several  miles,  my  men 
bowled  me  into  a tea-house,  where  they  ate  and  smoked 
wliile  I sat  in  the  garden,  wliich  consisted  of  baked 
mud,  smooth  stepping  stones,  a little  pond  with  some 
goldfish,  a deformed  pine,  and  a stone  lantern.  Ob- 
serve that  foreigners  are  wrong  in  calling  the  Japanese 
houses  of  entertainment  indiscriminately  “ tea-houses.” 
A tea-house  or  cliaya  is  a house  at  which  you  can 
obtain  tea  and  other  refreshments,  rooms  to  eat  them 
in,  and  attendance.  That  which  to  some  extent  an- 
swers to  an  hotel  is  a yadoya.,  which  provides  sleeping 
accommodation  and  food  as  requii-ed.  The  licenses  are 
different.  Tea-houses  are  of  all  grades,  from  the  three- 
storied erections,  gay  with  flags  and  lanterns,  in  the 
great  cities  and  at  places  of  popular  resort,  down  to 
the  road-side  tea-house,  as  represented  in  the  engrav- 
ing, with  three  or  four  lounges  of  dark-coloured  wood 
under  its  eaves,  usually  occupied  by  naked  coolies  in 
all  attitudes  of  easiness  and  repose.  The  floor  is  raised 
about  eighteen  inches  above  the  ground,  and  in  these 
tea-houses  is  frequently  a matted  platform  with  a recess 
called  the  doma.,  literally  “earth-space,”  in  the  middle, 
round  which  runs  a ledge  of  polished  wood  called  the 
itama.,  or  “board  space,”  on  which  travellers  sit  while 
they  bathe  their  soiled  feet  with  the  water  which  is 
immediately  brought  to  them;  for  neither  with  soiled 
feet  nor  in  foreign  shoes  must  one  advance  one  step  on 
the  matted  floor.  On  one  side  of  the  doma  is  the 
kitchen  with  its  one  or  two  charcoal  fires,  where  the 
coolies  lounge  on  the  mats  and  take  their  food  and 
smoke,  and  on  the  other  the  family  pursue  theii’  avoca- 
tions. In  almost  the  smallest  tea-house  there  are  one 
or  two  rooms  at  the  back,  but  all  the  life  and  interest 
are  in  the  open  front.  In  the  small  tea  -houses  there  is 
only  an  frorf,  a square  hole  in  the  floor,  full  of  sand  or 


ROADSIDE  TEA-HOUSES. 


91 


white  ash,  on  which  the  live  charcoal  for  cookijig  pur- 
poses is  placed,  and  small  racks  for  food  and  eating 
utensils ; but  in  the  large  ones  there  is  a row  of  char- 
coal stoves,  and  the  walls  are  garnished  up  to  the  roof 
with  shelves,  and  the  lacquer  tables  and  lacquer  and 
china  ware  used  by  the  guests.  The  large  tea-houses 
contain  the  possibilities  for  a number  of  rooms  which 


ROAD-SIDE  TEA-HOUSE. 


can  be  extemporised  at  once  by  sliding  paper  panels, 
called  fusuma,  along  grooves  in  the  floor  and  in  the 
ceiling  or  cross-beams. 

When  we  stopped  at  wayside  tea-houses  the  runners 
bathed  their  feet,  rinsed  their  mouths,  and  ate  rice, 
pickles,  salt  fish,  and  “broth  of  abominable  things,” 
after  which  they  smoked  their  tiny  pipes,  which  give 
them  three  whiffs  for  each  filling.  As  soon  as  I got  out 


92 


UNBEATEN  TRACKS  IN  JAPAN. 


at  any  of  these,  one  smiling  girl  brought  me  the  tahako- 
hov.,  a square  wood  or  lacquer  tray,  with  a china  or 
bamboo  charcoal-holder  and  ash-pot  upon  it,  and  another 
presented  me  with  a zen,  a small  lacquer  table  about 
six  inches  high,  with  a tiny  teapot  with  a hoUow  handle 
at  right  angles  with  the  spout,  holding  about  an  English 
tea-cupful,  and  two  cups  without  handles  or  saucers, 
with  a capacity  of  from  ten  to  twenty  thimblefuls  each. 
The  hot  water  is  merely  allowed  to  rest  a minute  on  the 
tea-leaves,  and  the  infusion  is  a clear  straw-coloured 
liquid  with  a delicious  aroma  and  flavour,  grateful  and 
refreshing  at  all  times.  If  Japanese  tea  “ stands,”  it 
acquires  a coarse  bitterness  and  an  unwholesome  astrin- 
gency.  Milk  and  sugar  are  not  used.  A clean-looking 
wooden  or  lacquer  pail  with  a lid  is  kept  in  all  tea- 
houses, and  though  hot  rice,  except  to  order,  is  only 
ready  three  times  daily,  the  pail  always  contains  cold 
rice,  and  the  coolies  heat  it  by  pouring  hot  tea  over  it. 
As  you  eat,  a tea-house  girl,  with  this  pail  beside  her, 
squats  on  the  floor  in  front  of  you,  and  fills  your  rice 
bowl  till  you  say,  “ Hold,  enough  ! ” On  this  road  it  is 
expected  that  you  leave  three  or  four  sen  on  the  tea-tray 
for  a rest  of  an  hour  or  two  and  tea. 

All  day  we  travelled  through  rice-swamps,  along  a 
much-frequented  road,  as  far  as  Kasukab^,  a good-sized 
but  miserable-looking  town,  with  its  main  street  like  one 
of  the  pc  orest  streets  in  T6kiy6,  and  halted  for  the  night 
at  a lai'ge  yadoya,  with  downstairs  and  upstairs  rooms, 
crowds  of  travellers,  and  many  evil  smells.  On  enter- 
ing, the  house-master  or  landlord,  the  teislii,  folded  his 
hands  and  prostrated  himself,  touching  the  floor  vuth 
his  forehead  tlu-ee  times.  It  is  a large,  rambling  old 
house,  and  fully  thirty  servants  were  bustling  about  in 
the  daidokoro,  or  great  open  kitchen.  I took  a room 
upstairs  [i.e.  up  a steep  step-ladder  of  dark,  polished 


TRANSFORMATION  SCENES. 


93 


wood],  with  a balcony  under  the  deep  eaves.  The  front 
of  the  house  upstairs  was  one  long  room  with  only  sides 
and  a front,  but  it  was  immediately  divided  into  four 
by  drawing  sliding  screens  or  panels,  covered  with 
opaque  wall  papers,  into  their  proper  grooves.  A back 
was  also  improvised,  but  this  was  formed  of  frames  with 
panes  of  translucent  paper,  like  our  tissue  paper,  with 
sundry  holes  and  rents.  This  being  done,  I found  my- 
self the  possessor  of  a room  about  sixteen  feet  square, 
without  hook,  shelf,  rail,  or  anything  on  which  to  put 
anything,  nothing  in  short  but  a matted  floor.  Do  not 
be  misled  by  the  use  of  this  word  matting.  Japanese 
house-mats,  tatami.,  are  as  neat,  refined,  and  soft  a cover- 
ing for  the  floor  as  the  finest  Axminster  carpet.  They 
are  5 feet  9 inches  long,  3 feet  broad,  and  2^  inches 
thick.  The  frame  is  solidly  made  of  coarse  straw,  and 
this  is  covered  with  very  fine  woven  matting,  as  nearly 
white  as  possible,  and  each  mat  is  usually  bound  with 
dark  blue  cloth.  Temples  and  rooms  are  measured  by 
the  number  of  mats  they  contain,  and  rooms  must  be 
built  for  the  mats,  as  they  are  never  cut  to  the  rooms. 
They  are  always  level  with  the  polished  grooves  or 
ledges  wlrich  surround  the  floor.  They  are  soft  and 
elastic,  and  the  finer  qualities  are  very  beautiful.  They 
are  as  expensive  as  the  best  Brussels  carpet,  and  the 
Japanese  take  great  pride  in  them,  and  are  much  ag- 
grieved by  the  way  in  which  some  thoughtless  foreign- 
ers stamp  over  them  with  dirty  boots.  Unfortunately 
they  harbour  myriads  of  fleas. 

Outside  my  room  an  open  balcony  with  many  similar 
rooms  ran  round  a forlorn  aggregate  of  dilapidated 
shingle  roofs  and  water-butts.  These  rooms  were  all 
full.  Ito  asked  me  for  instructions  once  for  all,  put  up 
my  stretcher  under  a large  mosquito  net  of  coarse  green 
canvas  with  a fusty  smell,  filled  my  bath,  brought  me 


94 


UNBEATEN  TRACKS  IN  JAPAN. 


some  tea,  rice,  and  eggs,  took  my  passport  to  be  copied 
b}"  tbe  house-master,  and  departed,  I know  not  whither 
I tried  to  write  to  you,  but  fleas  and  mosquitoes  pre- 
vented it,  and  besides,  the  fusuma  were  frequently 
noiselessly  drawn  apart,  and  several  pairs  of  dark,  elon- 
gated eyes  surveyed  me  through  the  cracks;  for  there 
were  two  Japanese  families  in  the  room  to  the  right,  and 
Ove  men  in  that  to  the  left.  I closed  the  sliding  win- 
dows, with  translucent  paper  for  window  panes,  called 
sMji.,  and  went  to  bed;  but  the  lack  of  privacy  was 
fearful,  and  I have  not  yet  sufficient  trust  in  my  fellow- 
creatures  to  be  comfortable  Avithout  locks,  walls,  or 
doors  ! Eyes  were  constantlj^  applied  to  the  sides  of  the 
room,  a girl  twice  drew  aside  the  shoji  between  it  and 
the  corridor,  a man,  who  I afterwards  found  was  a blind 
man,  offering  his  services  as  a shampooer,  came  in  and 
said  some  (of  course)  unintelligible  words,  and  the  new 
noises  were  perfectly  bewildering.  On  one  side  a man 
recited  Buddhist  prayers  in  a high  key ; on  the  other  a 
girl  was  twanging  a sa7nisen,  a species  of  guitar ; the 
house  was  full  of  talking  and  splashing,  drums  and  tom- 
toms were  beaten  outside  ; there  were  street  cries  innu- 
merable, and  the  whistling  of  the  blind  shampooers,  anc 
the  resonant  clap  of  the  Are  watchman  who  perambu- 
lates all  Japanese  villages,  and  beats  two  pieces  of  wojd 
together  in  token  of  his  vigilance,  were  intolerable.  It 
was  a life  of  which  I knew  nothing,  and  the  mystery 
was  more  alarming  than  attractive ; my  money  was 
Ijdng  about,  and  nothing  seemed  easier  than  to  slide  a 
hand  through  the  fusuvm  and  appropriate  it.  Ito  told 
me  that  the  well  was  badl}'  contaminated,  the  odours 
were  fearful ; illness  was  to  be  feared  as  well  as  rob- 
bery ! So  uiu’easonably  I reasoned  I ’ 

1 Mj  fears,  though  quite  natural  for  a lady  alone,  had  really  no  justifi- 
cation. I have  since  travelled  I'JOO  miles  in  the  interior,  and  in  Tezo 


A NIGHT  ALARM. 


95 


My  bed  is  merely  a piece  of  canvas  nailed  to  two 
wooden  bars.  When  I lay  down  the  canvas  burst  away 
from  the  lower  row  of  nails  with  a series  of  cracks,  and 
sank  gradually  till  I found  myself  lying  on  a sharp- 
edged  pole  which  connects  the  two  pair  of  trestles,  and 
the  helpless  victim  of  fleas  and  mosquitoes.  I lay  for 
three  hours,  not  daring  to  stir  lest  I should  bring  the 
canvas  altogether  down,  becoming  more  and  more  ner- 
vous every  moment,  and  then  Ito  called  outside  the 


81B  HiiRRY’S  MESSENGER. 


ihdji.,  “ It  would  be  best.  Miss  Bird,  that  I should  see 
you.”  What  horror  can  this  be  ? I thought,  and  was 
not  reassured  when  he  added,  “ Here’s  a messeugei 
from  the  Legation,  and  two  policemen  want  to  speak  to 
you.”  On  arriving  I had  done  the  correct  thing  in 
giving  the  house-master  my  passport,  which,  according 
to  law,  he  had  copied  into  his  book,  and  had  sent  a dupli- 

wltli  perfect  safety  and  freedom  from  alarm,  and  I believe  that  tliere  is 
no  country  in  the  world  in  which  a lady  can  travel  with  such  absolute 
ssecurity  from  danger  and  rudeness  as  in  Janan. 


96 


UNBEATEN  TRACKS  IN  JAPAN. 


cate  copy  to  the  police-station,  and  this  intrusion  near 
midnight  was  as  unaccountable  as  it  was  unwarrantable. 
Nevertheless  the  appearance  of  the  two  manikins  in 
European  uniforms,  with  the  familiar  batons  and  buU’s- 
eye  lanterns,  and  with  manners  wliieh  were  respectfiil 
without  being  deferential,  gave  me  immediate  relief.  I 
should  have  welcomed  twenty  of  their  species,  for  their 
presence  assured  me  of  the  fact  that  I am  known  and 
registered,  and  that  a Government  which,  for  special 
reasons,  is  anxioxrs  to  impress  foreigners  with  its  power 
and  omniscience,  is  responsible  for  my  safety. 

While  they  spelt  through  my  passport  by  their  dim 
lantern,  I opened  the  Yedo  parcel,  and  found  that  it 
contained  a tin  of  lemon  sugar,  a most  kind  note  from 
Sir  Harry  Parkes,  and  a packet  of  letters  from  you. 
While  I was  attempting  to  open  the  letters,  Ito,  the 
policemen,  and  the  lantern  glided  out  of  my  room,  and 
[ lay  uneasily  till  daylight,  with  the  letters  and  telegram 
for  which  I had  been  yearning  for  six  weeks,  on  my  bed 
unopened! 

Already  I can  laugh  at  my  fears  and  misfortunes,  as 
I hope  you  will.  A traveller  must  buy  his  own  experi- 
ence, and  success  or  failure  depends  mainly  on  personal 
idiosyncrasies.  Many  matters  will  be  remedied  by  ex- 
perience as  I go  on,  and  I shall  acquire  the  habit  of 
feeling  secure  ; but  lack  of  privacy',  bad  smells,  and  the 
torments  of  fleas  and  mosquitoes  are,  I fear,  irremedi- 
able evils.  I.  L.  B. 


A COOLIE  FALLS  ILL. 


97 


FROM  KASUKABE  TO  NIKK6. 

A.  Coolie  falls  ill  — Peasant  Costume  — Varieties  in  Threshing  — 
The  Tochigi  yadoya  — Farming  Villages  — A Beautiful  Region  — 
An  In  Memoriam  Avenue  — A Doll’s  Street  — Nikko  — The  Jour- 
ney’s End  — Coolie  Kindliness. 

By  seven  the  next  morning  the  rice  was  eaten,  the 
room  as  bare  as  if  it  had  never  been  occupied,  the  hill 
of  80  sen  paid,  the  house-master  and  servants  with  many 
sayo  naras,  or  farewells,  had  prostrated  themselves,  and 
we  were  away  in  the  kurumas  at  a rapid  trot.  At  the 
first  halt  my  runner,  a kindly,  good-natured  creature, 
but  absolutely  hideous,  was  seized  with  pain  and  vomit- 
ing, owing,  he  said,  to  drinking  the  bad  water  at  Kasu- 
kabd,  and  was  left  behind.  He  pleased  me  much  by  the 
honest  independent  way  in  which  he  provided  a substi- 
tute, strictly  adhering  to  his  bargain,  and  never  asking 
for  a gratuity  on  account  of  Iris  illness.  He  had  been 
so  kind  and  helpful  that  I felt  quite  sad  at  leaving  him 
there  ill,  — only  a coolie  to  be  sure,  only  an  atom  among 
the  84,000,000  of  the  Empire,  but  not  less  precious  to 
our  Father  in  heaven  than  any  other.  It  was  a brilliant 
day,  with  the  mercury  86°  in  the  shade,  but  the  heat 
was  not  oppressive.  At  noon  we  reached  the  Tone, 
and  I rode  on  a coolie’s  tattooed  shoulders  through  the 
shallow  part,  and  then,  with  the  kurumas,  some  ill-dis- 
posed pack-horses,  and  a number  of  travellers,  crossed 
in  a flat-bottomed  boat.  The  boatmen,  travellers,  and 
cultivators,  were  nearly  or  altogether  without  clothes, 


08  UNBEATEN  TTtACKS  IN  JAPAN. 

but  the  richer  farmers  worked  in  the  fields  in  curved 
bamboo  liats  as  large  as  umbrellas,  himonos  with  large 
sleeves  not  girt  up,  and  large  fans  attaehed  to  their 
girdles.  Many  of  the  travellers  whom  we  met  were 
without  hats,  but  shielded  the  front  of  the  head  by  hold 
ing  a fan  between  it  and  the  sun.  Probably  the  incon 
venience  of  the  national  costume  for  working  men  partly 
accounts  for  the  general  practice  of  getting  rid  of  it. 
It  is  such  a hindrance  even  in  walking,  that  most  pedes- 
trians have  “ their  loins  girded  up  ” by  taking  the  mid- 
dle of  the  hem  at  the  bottom  of  the  kimono  and  tucking 
it  under  the  girdle.  This,  in  the  case  of  many,  shows 
woven,  tight-fitting,  elastic,  white  cotton  pantaloons, 
reaching  to  the  ankles.  After  ferrjung  another  river 
at  a village  from  which  a steamer  pHes  to  T6kiy6,  the 
country  became  much  more  pleasing,  the  rice-fields 
fewer,  the  trees,  houses,  and  barns  larger,  and,  in  the 
distance,  high  hills  loomed  faintly  through  the  haze. 
Much  of  the  wheat,  of  which  they  don’t  make  bread 
but  vermicelli,  is  already  being  carried.  You  see  wheat 
stacks  ten  feet  high  moving  slowly,  and  while  you  are 
wondering,  you  become  aware  of  four  feet  moving  be- 
low them ; for  all  the  crop  is  carried  on  horses’  if  not 
on  human  backs.  I went  to  see  several  threshing-floors, 
clean,  open  spaces  outside  barns,  where  the  grain  is  laid 
on  mats  and  threshed  by  two  or  four  men  with  heavy 
revolving  flails.  Another  method  is  for  women  to  beat 
out  the  grain  on  racks  of  split  bamboo  laid  lengthwise ; 
and  I saw  yet  a third  practised  both  in  the  fields  and 
barn-yards,  in  which  women  pass  handfuls  of  stalks 
backwards  through  a sort  of  carding  instrument  with 
sharp  iron  teeth  placed  in  a slanting  position,  which  cuts 
off  the  ears,  leaving  the  stalk  unbruised.  This  is  prob- 
ably “ the  sharp  thresliing  instrument,  ha^•ing  teeth  ” 
mentioned  by  Isaiah.  The  ears  are  then  rubbed  be 


THE  TOCHIGI  YAHOTA. 


99 


tween  the  hands.  In  this  region  the  wheat  was  win- 
nowed altogether  by  hand,  and  after  the  wind  had 
driven  the  chaff  away,  the  grain  was  laid  out  on  mats 
to  dry.  Sickles  are  not  used,  but  the  reaper  takes  a 
handful  of  stalks  and  cuts  them  off  close  to  the  ground 
with  a short,  straight  knife,  fixed  at  a right  angle  with 
the  handle.  The  wheat  is  sown  in  rows  with  wide  spaces 
between  them,  which  are  utilised  for  beans  and  other 
crops,  and  no  sooner  is  it  removed  than  daikon  (^Raphot/- 
nus  sativus'),  cucumbers,  or  some  other  vegetable,  takes 
its  place,  as  the  land  under  careful  tillage  and  copious 
manuring  bears  two,  and  even  three  crops  in  the  year. 
The  soil  is  trenched  for  wheat  as  for  all  crops  except 
rice,  not  a weed  is  io  be  seen,  and  the  whole  country 
looks  like  a well-kept  garden.  The  barns  in  this  dis- 
trict are  very  handsome,  and  many  of  their  grand  roofs 
have  that  concave  sweep  with  which  we  are  familiar  in 
the  pagoda.  The  eaves  are  often  eight  feet  deep,  and 
the  thatch  three  feet  thick.  Several  of  the  farm-yards 
have  handsome  gatewaj^s  like  the  ancient  “ lychgates  ” 
of  some  of  our  English  churchyards  much  magnified. 
As  animals  are  not  used  for  milk,  draught,  or  food,  and 
there  are  no  pasture  lands,  both  the  country  and  the 
farm-yards  have  a singular  silence  and  an  inanimate 
look ; a mean-looking  dog  and  a few  fowls  being  the 
only  representatives  of  domestic  animal  life.  I long 
for  the  lowing  of  cattle  and  the  bleating  of  sheep 
At  6 we  reached  Tochigi,  a large  town,  formerly  the 
castle  town  of  a daimiyd.  Its  special  manufacture  is 
rope  of  many  kinds,  a great  deal  of  hemp  being  grown 
in  the  neighbourhood.  Many  of  the  roofs  are  tiled,  and 
the  town  has  a more  solid  and  handsome  appearance 
than  those  that  we  had  previously  passed  through.  But 
from  Kasukab^  to  Tochigi  was  from  bad  to  worse.  1 
nearly  abandoned  Japanese  travelling  altogether,  and, 


100 


UNBEATEN  TRACKS  IN  JAPAN. 


if  last  night  had  not  been  a great  iniprovement,  I think 
I should  have  gone  ignominiously  back  to  Tokiyo.  The 
yadoya  was  a very  large  one,  and  as  sixty  guests  had 
arrived  before  me.  there  was  no  choice  of  accommoda- 
tion, and  I had  to  be  contented  with  a room  enclosed 
on  all  sides  not  by  fusuma  but  shoji,  and  with  barely 
room  for  my  bed,  bath,  and  chair,  under  a fusly  green 
mosquito  net,  which  was  a perfect  nest  of  fleas.  One 
side  of  the  room  was  against  a much-frequented  passage, 
and  another  opened  on  a small  yard  upon  which  three 
opposite  rooms  also  opened,  crowded  with  some  not  very 
sober  or  decorous  travellers.  The  shoji  were  full  of 
holes,  and  often  at  each  hole  I saw  a human  eye.  Pri- 
vacy was  a luxury  not  even  to  be  recalled.  Besides  the 
constant  application  of  eyes  to  the  shoji.,  the  servants, 
who  were  very  noisy  and  rough,  looked  into  my  room 
constantly  without  any  pretext ; the  host,  a bright, 
pleasant-looking  man,  did  the  same  ; jugglers,  musicians, 
blind  shampooers,  and  singing  girls,  all  pushed  the 
screens  aside ; and  I began  to  think  that  INIr.  Campbell 
was  right,  and  that  a lady  should  not  travel  alone  in 
Japan.  Ito,  who  had  the  room  next  to  mine,  suggested 
that  robbery  was  quite  likely,  and  asked  to  be  allowed 
to  take  charge  of  my  money ; but  did  not  decamp  with 
it  during  the  night ! I lay  down  on  my  precarious 
stretcher  before  eight,  but  as  the  night  advanced,  the 
din  of  the  house  increased  till  it  became  truly  diabol- 
ical, and  never  ceased  till  after  one.  Drums,  tom-toms, 
and  cymbals  were  beaten ; kotos  and  samisens  screeched 
and  twanged ; geishas  (professional  women  with  the  ac- 
complishments of  dancing,  singing,  and  playing)  danced, 
accompanied  by  songs  whose  jerking  discords  were  most 
laughable ; story-tellers  recited  tales  in  a high  key,  and 
the  running  about  and  splashing  close  to  my  room 
never  ceased.  Late  at  night  my  precarious  shdji  were 


THE  TOCHIGI  YADOTA. 


101 


accidentally  thrown  down,  revealing  a scene  of  great 
hilarity,  in  which  a number  of  people  were  bathing  and 
throwing  water  over  each  other. 

The  noise  of  departures  began  at  daylight,  and  I was 
glad  to  leave  at  seven.  Before  you  go  the  fusiima  are 
slidden  back,  and  what  was  your  room  becomes  part  of 
a great,  open,  matted  space  — an  arrangement  which 
effectually  prevents  fustiness.  Though  the  road  was  up 
a slight  incline,  and  the  men  were  too  tired  to  trot,  we 
made  thirty  miles  in  nine  hours.  The  kindliness  and 
courtesy  of  the  coolies  to  me  and  to  each  other  was  a 
constant  source  of  pleasure  to  me.  It  is  most  amus- 
ing to  see  the  elaborate  politeness  of  the  greetings  of 
men  clothed  only  in  hats  and  maros.  The  hat  is  invari- 
ably removed  when  they  speak  to  each  other,  and  three 
profound  bows  are  never  omitted. 

Soon  after  leaving  the  yadoya  we  passed  through  a 
wide  street  with  the  largest  and  handsomest  houses  I 
have  3^et  seen  on  both  sides.  They  were  all  open  in 
front ; their  highly-polished  floors  and  passages  looked 
like  still  water ; the  Icalcemonos^  or  wall-pictures  on  their 
side-walls,  were  extremely  beautiful;  and  their  mats 
were  very  fine  and  white.  There  were  large  gardens 
at  the  back,  with  fountains  and  flowers,  and  streams 
crossed  by  light  stone  bridges  sometimes  flowed  through 
the  houses.  From  the  signs  I supposed  them  to  be 
yadoyas^  but  on  asking  Ito  why  we  had  not  put  up  at 
one  of  them,  he  replied  that  they  were  all  kashitsukeya, 
or  tea-houses  of  disreputable  character  — a very  sad 
fact.^ 

As  we  journeyed,  the  country  became  prettier  and 

1 In  my  northern  journey  I was  very  frequently  obliged  to  put  up 
with  rough  and  dirty  accommodation,  because  the  better  sort  of  houses 
were  of  this  class.  If  there  are  few  sights  which  shock  the  traveller, 
there  is  much  even  on  the  surface  to  indicate  vices  which  degrade  and 
en.slave  the  manhood  of  Japan. 


102 


UNBEATEN  TRACKS  IN  JAPAN. 


prettier,  rolling  up  to  abrupt  wooded  hills  with  moun- 
tains in  the  clouds  behind.  The  farming  villages  are 
comfortable  and  embowered  in  wood,  and  the  richer 
farmers  seclude  their  dwellings  by  closely-clipped  hedges 
or  rather  screens,  two  feet  wide,  and  often  twenty  feet 
high.  Tea  grew  near  every  house,  and  its  leaves  were 
being  gathered  and  dried  on  mats.  Signs  of  silk  cul- 
ture Ijegan  to  appear  in  shrubberies  of  mulberry  trees, 
and  white  and  sulphur  yellow  cocoons  were  lying  m the 
sun  along  the  road  in  flat  trays.  Numbers  of  women 
sat  in  the  fronts  of  the  houses  weaving  cotton  cloth  fif- 
teen inches  wide,  and  cotton  yarn,  mostly  imported  from 
England,  was  being  dyed  in  all  the  villages,  the  dye 
used  being  a native  indigo,  the  Polygonum  tinctorium. 
Old  women  were  spinning,  and  young  and  old  usu- 
ally pursued  their  avocations  with  mse-looking  babies 
tucked  into  the  backs  of  their  dresses,  and  peering  cun- 
ningly over  their  shoulders.  Even  little  girls  of  seven 
and  eight  were  playing  at  children's  games  with  babies 
on  their  backs,  and  those  who  were  too  small  to  carry 
real  ones  had  big  dolls  strapped  on  in  similar  fashion. 
Innumerable  villages,  crowded  houses,  and  babies  in  all, 
give  one  the  impression  of  a very  populous  coimtry. 

As  the  day  wore  on  in  its  brightness  and  glory  the 
pictures  became  more  varied  and  beautifid.  Great 
snow-slashed  mountains  looked  over  the  foothills,  on 
whose  steep  sides  the  dark  blue  green  of  pine  and 
cryptomeria  was  lighted  up  by  the  spring  tints  of 
deciduous  trees.  There  were  groves  of  crj'ptomeria  on 
small  hills  crowuied  by  Shintfl  shrines,  approached  by 
grand  flights  of  stone  stairs.  The  red  gold  of  the  har- 
vest fields  contrasted  with  the  fresh  green  and  exquisite 
leafage  of  the  hemp ; rose  and  white  azaleas  lighted 
up  the  copse-woods ; and  when  the  broad  road  passed 
into  the  colossal  avenue  of  crj-ptomeria  wliich  over 


AN  IN  MEMORIAM  AVENUE.  100 

shadows  the  way  to  the  sacred  shrines  of  Nikko,  and 
tremulous  sunbeams  and  shadows  flecked  the  grass,  1 
felt  that  Japan  was  beautiful,  and  that  tlie  mud  flats 
of  Yedo  were  only  an  ugly  dream ! 

Two  roads  lead  to  NikkO.  I avoided  the  one  usually 
taken  by  Utsunomiya,  and  by  doing  so  lost  the  most 
maginflcent  of  the  two  avenues,  which  extends  for 
nearly  fifty  miles  along  the  great  highway  called  the 
Oshiu-kaido.  Along  the  Reiheishi-kaido,  the  road  by 
which  I came,  it  extends  for  thirty  miles,  and  the  two, 
broken  frequently  by  villages,  converge  upon  the  vil- 
lage of  Imaichi,  eight  miles  from  Nikko,  where  they 
unite,  and  only  terminate  at  the  entrance  of  the  town. 
They  are  said  to  have  been  planted  as  an  offering  to 
the  buried  Shdguns  by  a man  who  was  too  poor  to 
place  a bronze  lantern  at  their  shrines.  A grander 
monument  could  not  have  been  devised,  and  they  are 
probably  the  grandest  things  of  their  kind  in  the  world. 
The  avenue  of  the  Reiheishi-kaido  is  a good  carriage 
road  with  sloping  banks  eight  feet  high,  covered  with 
grass  and  ferns.  At  the  top  of  these  are  the  cryptome- 
ria,  then  two  grassy  walks,  and  between  these  and  the 
cultivation  a screen  of  saplings  and  brushwood.  A 
great  many  of  the  trees  become  two  at  four  feet  from 
the  ground.  Many  of  the  stems  are  twenty-seven  feet 
in  girth ; they  do  not  diminish  or  branch  till  they  have 
reached  a height  of  from  50  to  60  feet,  and  the  appear- 
ance of  altitude  is  aided  by  the  longitudinal  splitting  of 
the  reddish  coloured  bark  into  strips  about  two  indies 
wide.  The  trees  are  pyramidal,  and  at  a little  distance 
resemble  cedars.  There  is  a deep  solemnity  about  this 
glorious  avenue  with  its  broad  shade  and  dancing  lights, 
and  the  rare  glimpses  of  high  mountains.  Instinct  alone 
would  tell  one  that  it  leads  to  something  which  must 
be  grand  and  beautiful  like  itself.  It  is  broken  occa 


101 


UNBEATEN  TRACKS  IN  JAPAN. 


sioiially  by  small  villages  with  big  bells  suspended 
between  double  poles ; by  wayside  shrines  with  offer- 
ings of  rags  and  flowers;  by  stone  effigies  of  Buddha 
and  his  disciples,  mostly  defaced  or  overthrown,  all 
wearing  the  same  expression  of  beatified  rest  and  in- 
difference to  mundane  affairs ; and  by  temples  of  lac- 
quered wood  falling  to  decay,  whose  bells  sent  their 
surpassingly  sweet  tones  far  on  the  evening  air. 

Imaichi,  where  the  two  stately  aisles  unite,  is  a long 
up-hill  street,  with  a clear  mountain  stream  enclosed  in 
a stone  channel,  and  crossed  by  hewn  stone  slabs  run- 
ning down  the  middle.  In  a room  built  over  the 
stream,  and  commanding  a view  up  and  down  the 
street,  two  policemen  sat  writing.  It  looks  a dull 
place  without  much  traffic,  as  if  oppressed  by  the  state- 
liness of  the  avenues  below  it  and  the  shrines  above  it, 
but  it  has  a quiet  yadoya  where  I had  a good  night’s 
rest,  although  my  canvas  bed  was  nearly  on  the 
ground.  We  left  early  this  morning  in  drizzling  rain, 
and  went  straight  up-hill  under  the  cryptomeria  for 
eight  miles.  The  vegetation  is  as  profuse  as  one  would 
expect  in  so  damp  and  hot  a summer  climate,  and  from 
the  prodigious  rainfall  of  the  mountains ; every  stone 
is  covered  with  moss,  and  the  road-sides  are  green  with 
the  Protococcus  viridis  and  several  species  of  Marchan- 
tia.  We  were  among  the  foothills  of  the  Nantaizan 
mountains  at  a height  of  1000  feet,  abrupt  in  their 
forms,  wooded  to  their  summits,  and  noisy  with  the 
dash  and  tumble  of  a thousand  streams.  The  long 
street  of  Hachiishi,  with  its  steep-roofed,  deep-eaved 
houses,  its  warm  colouring,  and  its  steep  roadway  with 
steps  at  intervals,  has  a sort  of  Swiss  picturesqueness 
as  you  enter  it,  as  you  must,  on  foot,  while  your  IzurU' 
mas  are  hauled  and  lifted  up  the  steps ; nor  is  the  re- 
semblance given  by  steep  roofs,  pines,  and  mountains 


A DOLL'S  STDEET. 


10a 


patched  with  coniferae,  altogether  lost  as  5^ou  ascend 
the  steep  street,  and  see  wood  carvings  and  quaint  baS" 
kets  of  wood  and  grass  offered  everywhere  for  sale.  It 
is  a truly  dull,  quaint  street,  and  the  people  come  out 
to  stare  at  a foreigner  as  if  foreigners  had  not  become 
common  events  since  1870,  when  Sir  H.  and  Lady 
Parkes,  the  first  Europeans  who  were  permitted  to  visit 
NikkO,  took  up  their  abode  in  the  Imperial  HombO.  It 
is  a doll’s  street  with  small  low  houses,  so  finely  matted, 
so  exquisitely  clean,  so  finically  neat,  so  light  and  deli- 
cate, that  even  when  I entered  them  without  my  boots 
I felt  like  a “bull  in  a china  shop,”  as  if  my  mere 
weight  must  smash  through  and  destroy.  The  street 
is  so  painfully  clean  that  I should  no  more  think  of 
walking  over  it  in  muddy  boots  than  over  a drawing- 
room carpet.  It  has  a silent  mountain  look,  and  most 
of  its  shops  sell  specialties,  lacquer  work,  boxes  of 
sweetmeats  made  of  black  beans  and  sugar,  all  sorts 
of  boxes,  trays,  cups,  and  stands,  made  of  plain,  polished 
wood,  and  more  grotesque  articles  made  from  the  roots 
of  trees. 

It  was  not  part  of  my  plan  to  stay  at  the  beautiful 
yadoya  which  receives  foreigners  in  Hachiislii,  and  I 
sent  Ito  half  a mile  farther  with  a note  in  Japanese  to 
the  owner  of  the  house  where  I now  am,  while  I sat  on 
a rocky  eminence  at  the  top  of  the  street,  unmolested 
by  anybody,  looking  over  to  the  solemn  groves  upon 
the  mountains,  where  the  two  greatest  of  the  ShOguns 
“sleep  in  glory.”  Below,  the  rushing  Daiyagawa, 
swollen  by  the  night’s  rain,  thundered  through  a nar- 
row gorge.  Beyond,  colossal  flights  of  stone  stairs 
stretch  mysteriously  away  among  cryptomeria  groves, 
above  which  tower  the  Nikkfisan  mountains.  Just 
where  the  torrent  finds  its  impetuosity  checked  by  two 
stone  walls,  it  is  spanned  by  a bridge,  84  feet  long  l)y 


106 


UNBEATEN  TRACKS  IN  JAPAN. 


18  wide,  of  dull  red  lacquer,  resting  on  two  stone  piers 
on  either  side,  connected  by  two  transverse  stone  beams. 
A welcome  bit  of  colour  it  is  amidst  the  masses  of  dark 
greens  and  soft  greys,  though  there  is  nothing  imposing 
in  its  structure,  and  its  interest  consists  in  being  the 
Mihashi,  or  Sacred  Bridge,  built  in  1636,  formerly  open 
only  to  the  ShSguns,  the  envoy  of  the  Mikado,  and  to 
pilgrims  twice  a year.  Both  its  gates  are  locked. 
Grand  and  lonely  NikkS  looks,  the  home  of  rain  and 
mist.  Kuruma  roads  end  here,  and  if  you  wish  to  go 
any  farther  you  must  either  walk,  ride,  or  be  carried. 

Ito  was  long  away,  and  the  coolies  kept  addressing 
me  in  Japanese,  which  made  me  feel  helpless  and  soli- 
tary, and  eventually  they  shouldered  my  baggage,  and 
descending  a flight  of  steps,  we  crossed  the  river  by  the 
secular  bridge,  and  shortly  met  my  host,  Kanaya,  a 
very  bright,  pleasant-looking  man,  who  bowed  nearly 
to  the  earth.  Terraced  roads  in  every  direction  lead 
through  cryptomerias  to  the  shrines ; and  this  one 
passes  many  a stately  enclosure,  but  leads  away  from 
the  temples,  and  though  it  is  the  highway  to  Chiuzenjii, 
a place  of  popular  pilgrimage,  Yumoto,  a place  of  popu- 
lar resort,  and  several  other  villages,  it  is  very  rugged, 
and  having  flights  of  stone  steps  at  intervals,  is  only 
practicable  for  horses  and  pedestrians. 

At  the  house,  ■with  the  appearance  of  which  I was  at 
once  delighted,  I regretfully  parted  -with  my  coolies, 
who  had  served  me  kindly  and  faithfully.  They  had 
paid  me  many  little  attentions,  such  as  always  beating 
the  dust  out  of  my  dress,  inflating  lu}'  air-pillow,  and 
bringing  me  flowers,  and  were  always  grateful  when  I 
walked  up  hills ; and  just  now,  after  going  for  a fi’olic 
to  the  mountains,  they  called  to  wish  me  good-bye 
bringing  branches  of  azaleas.  I.  L.  B. 


MT  HOME  IN  NIKKO. 


107 


KANAYA’S  HOUSE. 

A.  Japanese  Idyll  — Musical  Stillness — My  Kooins  — Floral  Decora' 
tions  — Kanaya  and  his  Household  — Table  Equipments. 

Kanaya’s,  Nikko,  June  15. 

I don’t  know  what  to  write  about  my  house.  It  is  a 
Japanese  idyll;  there  is  nothing  within  or  without 
which  does  not  please  the  eye,  and  after  the  din  of 
yadoyas,  its  silence,  musical  with  the  dash  of  waters  and 
the  twitter  of  birds,  is  truly  refreshing.  It  is  a simple 
but  irregular  two-storied  pavilion,  standing  on  a stone- 
faced terrace  approached  by  a flight  of  stone  steps. 
The  garden  is  well  laid  out,  and,  as  peonies,  irises,  and 
azaleas  are  now  in  blossom,  it  is  very  bright.  The 
mountain,  with  its  lower  part  covered  with  red  azaleas, 
rises  just  behind,  and  a stream  which  tumbles  down  it 
supplies  the  house  with  water,  both  cold  and  pure, 
and  another,  after  forming  a miniature  cascade,  passes 
under  the  house  and  through  a fishpond  with  rocky 
islets  into  the  river  below.  The  grey  village  of  Irimi- 
chi  lies  on  the  other  side  of  the  road  shut  in  with  the 
rushing  Daiya,  and  beyond  it  are  high,  broken  hills, 
richly  wooded,  and  slashed  v/ith  ravines  and  waterfalls. 

Kanaya’s  sister,  a very  sweet,  refined-looking  woman, 
met  me  at  the  door  and  divested  me  of  my  boots.  The 
two  verandahs  are  highly  polished,  so  are  the  entrance 
and  the  stairs  which  lead  to  my  room,  and  the  mats 
are  so  fine  and  white  that  I almost  fear  to  walk  over 
them  even  in  my  stockings.  The  polished  stairs  lead  to 


108 


UNBEATEN  TRACKS  IN  JAPAN. 


a liiglily  polished,  broad  verandah  with  a beautiful  view, 
from  which  you  enter  one  large  room,  which,  being  too 
large,  was  at  once  made  into  two.  Four  highly  polished 
steps  lead  from  this  into  an  exquisite  room  at  the  back, 
which  I to  occupies,  and  another  polished  staircase  into 
the  bath-house  and  garden.  The  whole  front  of  my 
room  is  composed  of  shoji,  which  slide  back  during  the 
day.  The  ceiling  is  of  light  wood  crossed  by  bars  of 


kanata’8  house. 


dark  wood,  and  the  posts  which  support  it  are  of  dark 
polished  wood.  The  panels  are  of  wrinkled  sky  blue 
paper  splashed  with  gold.  At  one  end  are  two  alcoves 
with  floors  of  polished  wood,  called  tokonoma.  In  one 
hangs  a kakemono,  or  wall-picture,  a painting  of  a blos- 
soming branch  of  the  cherry  on  white  silk — a perfect 
piece  of  art,  which  in  itself  fills  ihe  room  with  fresh- 
ness and  beauty.  The  artist  who  painted  it  painted 


KAN  AY  A AND  HIS  HOUSEHOLD. 


101' 


aotliing  but  cherry  blossoms,  and  fell  in  the  rebellion 
On  a shelf  in  the  other  alcove  is  a very  valuable  cabi 
net  with  sliding  doors,  on  which  peonies  are  painted  on 
a gold  ground.  A single  spray  of  rose  azalea  in  a pure 
white  vase  hanging  on  one  of  the  polished  posts,  and  a 
single  iris  in  another,  are  the  only  decorations.  The 
mats  are  very  fine  and  white,  but  the  only  furniture  is 
a folding  screen  with  some  suggestions  of  landscape  in 
Indian  ink.  I almost  wish  that  the  rooms  were  a little 
less  exquisite,  for  I am  in  constant  dread  of  spilling  the 
ink,  indenting  the  mats,  or  tearing  the  paper  windows. 
Downstairs  there  is  a room  equally  beautiful,  and  a 
large  space  where  all  the  domestic  avocations  are  car- 
ried on.  There  is  a 7mra,  or  fireproof  storehouse,  with 
a tiled  roof  on  the  right  of  the  house. 

Kanaya  leads  the  discords  at  the  Shinto  shrines  ; but 
his  duties  are  few,  and  he  is  chiefly  occupied  in  perpetu- 
ally embellishing  his  house  and  garden.  His  mother,  a 
venerable  old  lady,  and  his  sister,  the  sweetest  and  most 
graceful  Japanese  woman  but  one  that  I have  seen,  live 
with  him.  She  moves  about  the  house  like  a floating 
fairy,  and  her  voice  has  music  in  its  tones.  A half- 
witted servant  man  and  the  sister’s  boy  and  girl  com- 
plete the  family.  Kanaya  is  the  chief  man  in  the  vil- 
lage, and  is  very  intelligent  and  apparently  well 
educated.  He  has  divorced  his  wife,  and  his  sister  has 
practically  divorced  her  husband.  Of  late,  to  help  his 
income,  he  has  let  these  charming  rooms  to  foreigners 
who  have  brought  letters  to  him,  and  he  is  very  anx- 
ious to  meet  their  views,  while  his  good  taste  leads 
him  to  avoid  Europeanising  his  beautiful  home. 

Supper  came  up  on  a or  small  table  six  inches 
high,  of  old  gold  lacquer,  with  the  rice  in  a gold  lac- 
quer bowl,  and  the  teapot  and  cup  were  fine  Kaga 
porcelain.  For  my  two  rooms  with  rice  and  tea  I paj 


no 


UNBEATEN  TRACKS  IN  JAPAN. 


2s.  a day.  Ito  forages  for  me,  and  can  occasionally  get 
chickens  at  lOd.  each  and  a dish  of  trout  for  6d.,  and 
eggs  are  always  to  be  had  for  Id.  each.  It  is  extremely 
interesting  to  live  in  a private  house  and  to  see  the  ex- 
ternalities at  least  of  domestic  life  in  a Janauese  middle- 
class  home.  I.  L.  B. 


THE  BEAUTIES  OF  NIKK6. 


IIJ 


nikk6. 

The  Beauties  of  Nikk6  — The  Burial  of  ly^yasu  — The  Approach  to 
the  great  Shrines  — The  Yomei  Gate — Gorgeous  Decorations  — 
Simplicity  of  the  Mausoleum  — The  Shrine  of  ly^mitsu  — Religious 
Art  of  Japan  and  India  — An  Earthquake  — Beauties  of  Wood- 
carving. 

Kanata’s,  Nikko,  June  21. 

I HAVE  been  at  Nikk6  for  nine  clays,  and  am  there- 
fore entitled  to  use  the  word  “ Kek'ko  ! ” 

NikkS  has  a distinct  individuality.  This  consists  not 
so  much  in  its  great  beauty  and  variety,  as  in  its  solemn 
grandeur,  its  profound  melancholy,  its  slow  and  sure 
decay,  and  the  historical  and  religious  atmosphere  from 
which  one  can  never  altogether  escape.  It  is  a place 
of  graves  too,  of  constant  rain  and  strange  stillness, 
and  its  glories  lie  in  the  past.  I have  paid  almost  daily 
visits  to  the  famous  shrines  ; but  their  decorations  are 
so  profuse,  and  their  mythological  allusions  so  com- 
plicated, that  instead  of  attempting  any  detailed 
description,  I must  content  myself  with  giving  the 
slightest  possible  sketch  of  what  I suppose  may  fairly 
be  ranked  among  the  most  beautiful  scenes  in  the 
world. 

Nikkd  means  “ sunny  splendour,”  and  its  beauties  are 
celebrated  in  poetry  and  art  all  over  Japan.  Mountains 
for  a great  part  of  the  year  clothed  or  patched  with 
snow,  piled  in  great  ranges  round  Nantaisan  their 
monarch,  worshipped  as  a god ; forests  of  magidficent 
timber ; ravines  and  passes  scarcely  explored ; dark 


112 


UNBEATEN  TRACKS  IN  JAPAN. 


green  lakes  sleeping  in  endless  serenity  ; the  deep  abyss 
of  Kegon,  into  which  the  waters  of  Chiuzenjii  plunge 
from  a height  of  250  feet ; the  bright  beauty  of  the  falls 
of  Kiri  Furi,  the  loveliness  of  the  gardens  of  Dainichi- 
do ; the  sombre  grandeur  of  the  passes  through  which 
the  Daiyagawa  forces  its  way  from  the  upper  regions ; 
a gcrgeousness  of  azaleas  and  magnolias ; and  a luxuri- 
ousness of  vegetation  perhaps  unequalled  in  Japan,  are 
only  a few  of  the  attractions  which  surround  the  shrines 
of  tlie  two  greatest  Shoguns. 

To  a glorious  resting-place  on  the  hill-slope  of  Hotok4 
Iwa,  sacred  since  767,  when  a Buddhist  saint,  called 
ShSdS  Sh8nin,  visited  it,  and  declared  the  old  Shint8 
deity  of  the  mountain  to  be  only  a manifestation  of 
Buddha,  Hidetada,  the  second  ShSgun  of  the  Tokugawa 
djuiasty,  conveyed  the  corpse  of  his  father  ly^yasu  in 
1617.  It  was  a splendid  burial.  An  Imperial  envoy,  a 
priest  of  the  Mikado’s  family,  court  nobles  from  IviySto, 
and  hundi-eds  of  daimiyos.,  captains,  and  nobles  of 
inferior  rank,  took  part  in  the  ceremony.  An  arm}'  of 
priests  in  rich  robes  during  three  days  mtoned  a sacred 
classic  10,000  times,  and  lyeyasu  was  deified  by  a decree 
of  the  iNIikado  under  a name  signifying  “ light  of  the 
east,  great  incarnation  of  Buddha.”  An  envoy  of  high 
rank  was  subsequently  sent  by  the  Emperor  to  the 
shrine  once  a year,  to  offer  not  the  ordinary  goTiei.,  or 
shreds  of  paper  attached  to  a long  wand  which  are  to 
be  seen  in  every  Shint8  shrine,  but  goliei  solidly  gilt. 
The  other  Sh8gun  who  is  buried  here  is  ly^mitsu,  the 
able  grandson  of  lydyasu.  He  finished  the  Nikko 
temples  and  those  of  Toyeisan  at  Uyeno  in  Yedo.  The 
less  important  Shoguns  of  the  line  of  Tokugawa  are 
buried  in  Uyeno  and  Shiba,  in  Yedo.  Since  the  restora- 
tion, and  what  may  be  called  the  disestablishment  of 
Buddhism,  the  shrine  of  lyeyasu  has  been  shorn  of  all 


APPROACH  TO  THE  SHRINES. 


113 


its  glories  of  ritual,  and  its  magnificent  Buddhist  para- 
pliernalia;  the  200  priests  who  gave  it  splendour  are 
scattered,  and  six  ShintS  priests  alternately  attend  upon 
it  as  much  for  the  purpose  of  selling  tickets  of  admission 
as  for  any  priestly  duties. 

All  roads,  bridges,  and  avenues  here  lead  to  these 
shrines,  but  the  grand  approach  is  by  the  Red  Bridge, 
and  up  a broad  road  with  steps  at  intervals  and  stone- 
faced enbankments  at  each  side,  on  the  top  of  which 
are  belts  of  cryptomeria.  At  the  summit  of  this  ascent 
is  a fine  granite  torii,  27  feet  6 inches  high,  with  columns 
3 feet  6 inches  in  diameter,  offered  by  the  daimiyo  of 
Chikuzen  in  1618  from  his  own  quarries.  After  this 
come  118  magnificent  bronze  lanterns  on  massive  stone 
pedestals,  each  of  which  is  inscribed  with  the  posthu- 
mous title  of  lydyasu,  the  name  of  the  giver,  and  a 
legend  of  the  offering  — all  the  gifts  of  daimiyo  — a 
holy  water  cistern  made  of  a solid  block  of  granite,  and 
covered  by  a roof  resting  on  twenty  square  granite  pil- 
lars, and  a bronze  bell,  lantern,  and  candelabra  of 
marvellous  workmanship,  offered  by  the  kings  of  Corea 
and  Liukiu.  On  the  left  is  a five-storied  pagoda,  104 
feet  high,  riclily  carved  in  wood  and  as  richly  gilded 
and  painted.  The  signs  of  the  zodiac  run  round  the 
lower  story. 

The  grand  entrance  gate  is  at  the  top  of  a handsome 
flight  of  steps  fort}"  yards  from  the  torii.  A looped 
white  curtain  with  the  Mikado’s  crest  in  black  hangs 
partially  over  the  gateway,  in  which,  beautiful  as  it  is, 
one  does  not  care  to  linger,  to  examine  the  gilded 
amainu  in  niches,  or  the  spirited  carvings  of  tigers 
under  the  eaves,  for  the  view  of  the  first  court  over- 
whelms one  by  its  magnificence  and  beauty.  The  whole 
style  of  the  buildings,  the  arrangements,  the  art  of 
every  kind,  the  thought  which  inspires  the  whole,  are 


114 


UNBEATEN  TRACKS  IN  JAPAN. 


exclusively  Japanese,  and  the  glimpse  from  the  Ni-6 
gate  is  a revelation  of  a previously  undreamed-of  beauty 
both  in  form  and  colour. 

Round  tlie  neatly-pebbled  court,  which  is  enclosed  bj 
a bright  red  timber  wall,  are  tliree  gorgeous  buildings 
which  contain  the  treasures  of  the  temple,  a sumptuous 
stable  for  the  three  sacred  Albino  horses  which  are  kepi 
for  the  use  of  the  god,  a magnificent  granite  cistern  oi 
holy  water,  fed  from  the  SSmendaki  cascade,  and  a higlfij 
decorated  building,  in  which  a complete  collection  ol 
Buddliist  Scriptures  is  deposited.  From  this  a flight  oi 
steps  leads  into  a smaller  court  containing  a bell-tower 
“ of  marvellous  Avorkmanship  and  ornamentation,”  a 
drum  tower,  hardly  less  beautiful,  a shrine,  the  candela- 
bra, bell,  and  lantern  mentioned  before,  and  some  A^ery 
grand  bronze  lanterns. 

From  this  court  another  flight  of  steps  ascends  to  the 
Yomei  gate,  whose  splendour  I contemplated  day  after 
day  Avith  increasing  astonishment.  The  white  columns 
which  support  it  have  capitals  formed  of  great  red- 
throated  heads  of  the  mythical  Icirin.  Above  the  archi- 
trave is  a projecting  balcony  which  runs  all  round  the 
gateway  with  a railing  carried  by  dragons’  heads.  In 
the  centre  two  white  dragons  fight  eternally.  Under- 
neath, in  high  relief,  there  are  groups  of  children  play- 
ing, then  a network  of  richly  painted  beams,  and  seven 
groups  of  Chinese  sages.  The  high  roof  is  supported 
by  gilded  dragons’  heads  with  crimson  throats.  In  the 
interior  of  the  gateway  there  are  side-niches  painted 
white,  Avhich  are  lined  with  gracefully  designed  ara- 
besques founded  on  the  botan  or  peony.  A piazza, 
whose  outer  walls  of  twenty-one  compartments  are  en- 
riched with  magnificent  carvings  of  birds,  flowers,  and 
trees,  runs  right  and  left,  and  encloses  on  three  of  its 
sides  another  court,  the  fourth  side  of  which  is  a ter 


GORGEOUS  DECORATIONS. 


115 


rninal  stone  wall  built  against  the  side  of  the  hill.  On 
the  right  are  two  decorated  buildings,  one  of  which 
contains  a stage  for  the  performance  of  the  sacred 
dances,  and  the  other  an  altar  for  the  burning  of  cedar 
wood  incense.  On  the  left  is  a building  for  the  recep 
tion  of  the  three  sacred  cars  which  were  used  during 
festivals.  To  pass  from  court  to  court  is  to  pass  from 
splendour  to  splendour ; one  is  almost  glad  to  feel  that 
this  is  the  last,  and  that  the  strain  on  one’s  capacity  for 
admiration  is  nearly  over. 

In  the  middle  is  the  sacred  enclosure,  formed  of  gilded 
trellis-work  with  painted  borders  above  and  below, 
forming  a square  of  which  each  side  measures  150  feet, 
and  which  contains  the  liaiden  or  chapel.  Underneath 
the  trellis-work  are  groups  of  birds  with  backgrounds 
of  grass,  very  boldly  carved  in  wood  and  richly  gilded 
and  painted.  From  the  hnposing  entrance  through  a 
double  avenue  of  cryptomeria,  among  courts,  gates,  tem- 
ples, shrines,  pagodas,  colossal  bells  of  bronze,  and  lan- 
terns inlaid  with  gold,  you  pass  through  this  final  court 
bewildered  by  magnificence,  tlirough  golden  gates,  into 
the  dimness  of  a golden  temple,  and  there  is  — simply 
a black  lacquer  table  with  a circular  metal  mirror  upon 
it ! 

Witliin  is  a hall  finely  matted,  42  feet  wide,  by  27 
from  front  to  back,  with  lofty  apartments  on  each  side, 
one  for  the  ShSgun  and  the  other  “ for  his  Holiness  tire 
Abbot.”  Both  of  course  are  empty.  The  roof  of  the 
hall  is  panelled  and  richly  frescoed.  The  ShSgun’s 
room  contains  some  very  fine  fusuma  on  which  kirin 
(fabulous  monsters)  are  depicted  on  a dead  gold  ground, 
and  four  oak  panels,  8 feet  by  6,  finely  carved,  with  the 
phoenix  in  low  relief  variously  treated.  In  the  Abbot’s 
room  there  are  similar  panels  adorned  with  hawks  spirit- 
edly executed.  The  only  ecclesiastical  ornament  among 


116 


UNBEATEN  TRACKS  IN  JAPAN. 


the  dim  splendours  of  the  chapel  is  the  plain  gold  gohei 
Steps  at  the  back  lead  into  a chapel  paved  with  stone, 
with  a fine  panelled  ceiling  representing  dragons  on  a 
dark  blue  ground.  Beyond  this  some  gilded  doors  lead 
into  the  principal  chapel,  containing  four  rooms  which 
are  not  accessible ; but  if  they  correspond  with  the  out- 
side, which  is  of  highly  polished  black  lacquer  relieved 
by  gold,  they  must  be  severely  magnificent. 

But  not  in  any  one  of  these  gorgeous  shrines  did 
ly^yasu  decree  that  his  dust  should  rest.  Re-entering 
the  last  court,  it  is  necessary  to  leave  the  enclosures 
altogether  by  passing  through  a covered  gateway  in  the 
eastern  piazza  into  a stone  gallery,  green  with  mosses 
and  hepaticse.  Within,  wealth  and  art  have  created  a 
fairyland  of  gold  and  colour;  without.  Nature,  at  her 
stateliest,  has  surrounded  the  great  ShSgun’s  tomb  with 
a pomp  of  moui-nful  splendour.  A staircase  of  240 
stone  steps  leads  to  the  top  of  the  hill,  where,  above 
and  behind  all  the  stateliness  of  the  shrines  raised  in 
his  honour,  the  dust  of  ly^yasu  sleeps  in  an  unadorned 
but  Cyclopean  tomb  of  stone  and  bronze,  surmounted 
by  a bronze  urn.  In  front  is  a stone  table  decorated 
with  a bronze  incense  burner,  a vase  with  lotus  blos- 
soms and  leaves  in  brass,  and  a bronze  stork  bearing  a 
bronze  candlestick  in  its  mouth.  A lofty  stone  wall 
surmounted  by  a balustrade,  surrounds  the  simple  but 
stately  enclosure,  and  cryptomeria  of  large  size  growing 
up  the  hack  of  the  hill  create  perpetual  twilight  round 
it.  Slant  rays  of  sunshine  alone  pass  through  them,  no 
flower  blooms  or  bird  sings,  only  silence  and  mournful- 
ness surround  the  grave  of  the  ablest  and  greatest  man 
that  Japan  has  produced. 

Impressed  as  I had  been  with  the  glorious  workman- 
ship in  wood,  bronze,  and  lacquer,  I scarcely  admired 
less  the  masonry  of  the  vast  retaining  walls,  the  stone 


TEE  SEEINE  OF  lYmilTSU. 


117 


gallery,  the  staircase  and  its  balustrade,  all  put  together 
linthout  mortar  or  cement,  and  so  accurately  fitted  that 
the  joints  are  scarcely  affected  by  the  rain,  damp,  and 
aggressive  vegetation  of  260  years.  The  steps  of  the 
staircase  are  fine  monoliths,  and  the  coping  at  the  side, 
the  massive  balustrade,  and  the  heavy  rail  at  the  top, 
are  cut  out  of  solid  blocks  of  stone  from  10  to  18 
feet  in  length.  Nor  is  the  workmanship  of  the  great 
granite  cistern  for  holy  waterless  remarkable.  It  is  so 
carefully  adjusted  on  its  bed,  that  the  water  brought 
from  a neighbouring  cascade  rises  and  pours  over  each 
edge  in  such  carefully  equalised  columns  that,  as  Mr. 
Satow  says,  “ it  seems  to  be  a solid  block  of  water 
rather  than  a piece  of  stone.” 

The  temples  of  Ty^mitsu  are  clese  to  those  of  lyeyasu, 
and  though  somewhat  less  magnificent,  are  even  more 
bewildering,  as  they  are  still  in  Buddhist  hands,  and 
are  crowded  with  the  gods  of  the  Buddhist  Pantheon 
and  the  splendid  paraphernalia  of  Buddhist  worship,  in 
striking  contrast  to  the  simplicity  of  the  lonely  ShintQ 
mirror  in  the  midst  of  the  blaze  of  gold  and  colour.  In 
the  grand  entrance  gate  are  gigantic  iW-o,  the  Buddhist 
Gog  and  Magog,  vermilion  coloured,  and  with  draper- 
ies painted  in  imitation  of  flowered  silk.  A second  pair, 
painted  red  and  green,  removed  from  ly^mitsu’s  temple, 
are  in  niches  within  the  gate.  A flight  of  steps  leads 
to  another  gate,  in  whose  gorgeous  niches  stand  hideous 
monsters,  in  human  form,  representing  the  gods  of  wind 
and  thunder.  Wind  has  crystal  eyes,  and  a half-jolly, 
half-demoniacal  expression.  He  is  painted  green,  and 
carries  a wind-bag  on  his  back,  a long  sack  tied  at  each 
end,  with  the  ends  brought  over  his  shoulders  and  held 
in  his  hands.  The  god  of  thunder  is  painted  red,  with 
purple  hair  on  end,  and  stands  on  clouds  holding  thun- 
derbolts in  his  hand.  More  steps,  and  another  gate 


118 


UNBEATEN  TRACKS  IN  JAPAN. 


contaiiiiijg  the  TennS,  or  gods  of  the  four  quarters, 
holdly  carved  and  in  strong  action,  with  long  eye-teeth, 
and  at  last  the  principal  temple  is  reached.  An  old 
priest  who  took  me  over  it  on  my  first  visit,  on  passing 
the  gods  of  wind  and  thunder  said,  “We  used  to  be- 
lieve in  these  things,  but  we  don’t  now,”  and  his  man- 
ner in  speaking  of  the  other  deities  was  rather  con- 
temptuous. He  requested  me,  however,  to  take  off  my 
hat  as  well  as  my  shoes  at  the  door  of  the  temple. 
Within  there  was  a gorgeous  shrine,  and  when  an  acv.'- 
lyte  drew  aside  the  curtain  of  cloth  of  gold  the  interior 
was  equally  imposing,  containing  Buddha  and  two 
other  figures  of  gilded  brass,  seated  cross-legged  on 
lotus  flowers,  with  rows  of  petals  several  times  repeated, 
and  with  that  look  of  eternal  repose  on  their  faces  which 
is  reproduced  in  the  commonest  roadside  images.  In 
front  of  the  shrine  several  candles  were  burning,  the 
offerings  of  some  people  \vho  were  having  prayers  said 
for  them,  and  the  whole  was  lighted  by  two  lamps 
burning  low.  On  a step  of  the  altar  a muoh-co.atorted 
devil  was  crouching  un easily",  for  he  was  r.ubjugated, 
and  by  a grim  irony,  made  to  carry  a massi\'e  ineen.se- 
burner  on  his  shoulders.  In  this  temple  there  were 
more  than  a hundred  idols  standing  in  rows,  man}'  tf 
them  life-size,  some  of  them  trampling  devils  unde\ 
their  feet,  but  all  hideous,  partly  from  the  bright  greens., 
vermilions,  and  blues  -with  which  they  are  painted 
Remarkable  muscular  development  characterises  all, 
and  the  figures  or  faces  are  all  in  vigorous  action  of 
some  kind,  generally  grossly  exaggerated. 

For  the  second  time  I noticed  the  singular  contrast 
between  the  horrible  or  grotesque  creations  of  Japanese 
religious  fancy,  with  their  contorted  figures  and  gaudy, 
(ly-away  tags  of  dress,  and  the  Oriental  calm  of  face, 
figure,  and  drapery  of  the  imported  Buddha,  the  crea- 


AN  EARTHQUAKE. 


119 


lion  of  the  religious  art  of  India.  The  teeth  of  all  the 
Japanese  gods  in  this  temple  were  most  unpleasantly 
conspicuous.  Some  idols  (such  as  the  farmers’  and  sail- 
ors’ gods)  were  in  shrines,  and  there  were  many  small 
offerings  of  rice  and  sweetmeats  before  them.  The 
priests  sell  pieces  of  paper  inscribed  with  the  names  of 
these  divinities  as  charms  against  shipwreck  and  failure 
of  the  rice  crops,  and  Ito  bought  a number  of  the  latter, 
having  been  commissioned  to  do  so  by  several  rice  farm- 
ers at  Yokohama.  It  is  not  the  pilgrim  season,  but  sev- 
eral pilgrims  were  there,  offering  candles,  incense,  and 
rice. 

While  we  were  crossing  the  court  there  were  two 
shocks  of  earthquake ; all  the  golden  wind-bells  which 
fringe  the  roofs  rang  softly,  and  a number  of  priests  ran 
into  the  temple  and  beat  various  kinds  of  drums  for  the 
space  of  half  an  hour.  lydmitsu’s  tomb  is  reached  by 
flights  of  steps  on  the  right  of  the  chapel.  It  is  in  the 
same  style  as  lydyasu’s,  but  the  gates  in  front  are  of 
bronze,  and  are  inscribed  with  large  Sanskrit  characters 
in  bright  brass.  One  of  the  most  beautiful  of  the  many 
views  is  from  the  uppermost  gate  of  the  temple.  The 
sun  shone  on  my  second  visit  and  brightened  the  spring 
tints  of  the  trees  on  Hotok^  Iwa,  which  was  vignetted 
by  a frame  of  dark  cryptomeria. 

Thus  far,  with  Mr.  Satow’s  help,  I have  gone  over  the 
principal  objects  of  interest,  omitting  very  many,  but  I 
should  add  that  a large  temple  is  being  constructed  on 
the  right  of  the  entrance  avenue  for  the  reception  nf 
the  Buddhist  insignia,  which  have  been  ejected  from 
ly^yasu’s  shi-ine.  Tickets  of  admission  to  each  slirine 
are  sold  for  7d.  each,  but  it  is  not  clear  that  the  money 
so  raised  is  for  repairs,  and  as  wood,  paint,  and  gilding 
cannot  last  for  ever,  and  the  Japanese  Government  is 
more  intent  upon  material  progress  than  upon  pieseiv- 


120 


UNBEATEN  TRACES  IN  JAPAN. 


ing  itfj  antiquities,  it  is  a question  whether  these  slu  inea 
are  not  destined  to  decay  with  the  decaying  faiths  of 
tlie  people  I have  reduced  my  description  to  the  bald- 
ness of  a hand-book  in  absolute  despair. 

Some  of  vhe  buildings  are  roofed  with  sheet-copper, 
but  most  of  them  are  tiled.  TUing,  however,  has  been 
raised  almost  to  the  dignity  of  a fine  art  in  Japan.  The 
tiles  themselves  are  a coppery  grey,  with  a suggestion 
of  metallic  lustre  about  it.  They  are  slightly  concave, 
and  the  joints  are  covered  by  others  quite  convex, 
which  come  down  like  massive  tubes  from  the  ridge 
pole,  and  terminate  at  the  eaves  with  discs  on  which  the 
Tokugawa  badge  is  emblazoned  in  gold,  as  it  is  every- 
where on  these  shrines  where  it  would  not  be  quite  out 
of  keeping.  The  roofs  are  so  massive  that  they  require 
all  the  strength  of  the  heavy  carved  timbers  below,  and 
like  all  else,  they  gleam  with  gold,  or  that  which  simu- 
lates it. 

The  shrines  are  the  most  wonderful  work  of  their 
kind  in  Japan.  In  their  stately  setting  of  cryptomeria, 
few  of  which  are  less  than  20  feet  in  girth  at  3 feet  from 
the  ground,  they  take  one  prisoner  by  their  beauty,  in 
defiance  of  all  rules  of  western  art,  and  compel  one  to 
acknowledge  the  beauty  of  forms  and  combinations  of 
coloui  hitherto  unknown,  and  that  lacquered  wood  is 
capable  of  lending  itself  to  the  expression  of  a very 
high  idea  in  art.  Gold  has  been  used  in  profusion,  and 
black,  dull  red,  and  white,  with  a breadth  and  lavish- 
ness quite  unique.  The  bronze  fret-work  alone  is  a 
study,  and  the  wood-carving  needs  weeks  of  earnest 
work  for  the  masteiy  of  its  ideas  and  details.  One 
screen  or  railing  onl}^  has  60  panels,  each  4 feet  long, 
carved  with  marvellous  boldness  and  depth  in  open 
work,  representing  peacocks,  pheasants,  storks,  lotuses, 
peonies,  bamboos,  and  foliage.  The  fidelity  to  form  au<i 


BEAUTIES  OF  WOOD-CARVING. 


121 


colour  in  the  birds,  and  the  reproduction  of  the  glory 
of  motion,  could  not  be  excelled. 

Yet  the  flowers  please  me  even  better.  Truly  the 
artist  has  revelled  in  his  work,  and  has  carved  and 
painted  with  joy.  The  lotus  leaf  retains  its  dewy 
bloom,  the  peony  its  shades  of  creamy  white,  tlie  bam- 
boo leaf  still  trembles  on  its  graceful  stem,  in  contrast 
to  the  rigid  needles  of  the  pine,  and  countless  corollas, 
in  all  the  perfect  colouring  of  passionate  life,  unfold 
themselves  amidst  the  leafage  of  the  gorgeous  tracery. 
These  carvings  are  from  10  to  15  inches  deep,  and  sin- 
gle feathers  in  the  tails  of  the  pheasants  stand  out  fully 
6 inches  in  front  of  peonies  nearly  as  deep. 

The  details  fade  from  my  memory  daily  as  I leave  tl  .e 
shrines,  and  in  their  place  are  picturesque  masses  of 
black  and  red  lacquer  and  gold,  gilded  doors  opening 
without  noise,  halls  laid  with  matting  so  soft  that  not  a 
footfall  sounds,  across  whose  twilight  the  sunbeams  fall 
aslant  on  richly  arabesqued  walls  and  panels  carved 
with  birds  and  flowers,  and  on  ceilings  panelled  and 
wrought  with  elaborate  art,  of  inner  shrines  of  gold,  and 
golden  lilies  six  feet  high,  and  curtains  of  gold  brocade, 
and  incense  fumes,  and  colossal  bells  and  golden  ridge 
poles;  of  the  mythical  fauna,  Hrm,  dragon,  and  hotvo, 
of  elephants,  apes,  and  tigers,  strangely  mingled  with 
flowers  and  trees,  and  golden  tracery,  and  diaper  work 
on  a gold  ground,  and  lacquer  screens,  and  pagodas,  and 
groves  of  bronze  lanterns,  and  shaven  priests  in  gold 
brocade,  and  ShintS  attendants  in  black  lacquer  caps, 
and  gleams  of  sunlit  gold  here  and  there,  and  simple 
monumental  urns,  and  a mountain-side  covered  with 
a cryptomeria-forest,  with  rose  azaleas  lighting  up  its 
solemn  shade.^  I.  L.  B. 

1 The  Japanese  Government  has  recently  undertaken  the  charge  ol 
the  repairs  of  the  shrines  of  Nikko  and  Shiba  ; so  that  the  fear  of  these 
exquisite  creations  of  art  falling  into  decay  is  now  at  an  end.  January 
108ft 


122 


UNBEATEN  TRACKS  IN  JAPAN. 


A WATERING-PLACE. 

A.  Japanese  Pack-horse  and  Pack-saddle  — The  Monn tain-road  to 
Chiuzenjii  — A Deserted  Village  — The  Pilgrim  Season  — Rose 
Azaleas — Yadoya  and  Attendant  — A native  Watering-place  — 
The  Sulphur  Baths  — A “ Squeeze  ” — A welcome  Arrival. 

Yashimaya,  Yumoto,  Nikkozan  Mouittains,  June  22. 

To-day  I have'  made  an  experimental  journey  on 
horseback,  have  done  fifteen  miles  in  eight  hours  of  con- 
tinuous travelling,  and  have  encountered  for  the  first 
time  the  Japanese  pack-liorse,  an  animal  of  which  many 
unpleasing  stories  are  told,  and  which  has  liitherto  been 
as  mythical  to  me  as  the  Jcirin  or  dragon.  I have  neither 
been  kicked,  bitten,  nor  pitched  off,  liowever,  for  mares 
are  used  exclusively  in  this  district,  gentle  creatures 
about  fourteen  hands  high,  with  weak  hind-quarters, 
and  heads  nearly  concealed  by  shaggj’  manes  and  fore- 
locks. They  are  led  by  a rope  round  the  nose,  and  go 
barefoot,  except  on  stony  ground,  when  the  mago,  or 
man  who  leads  them,  ties  straw  sandals  on  their  feet. 
The  pack-saddle  is  composed  of  two  packs  of  straw 
eight  inches  thick,  faced  with  red,  and  connected  be- 
fore and  behind  by  strong  oak  arches  gaily  painted  or 
lacquered.  There  is  for  a girth  a rope  loosely  tied 
under  the  bodjq  and  the  security  of  the  load  depends 
on  a crupper,  usually  a piece  of  bamboo  attached  to  the 
saddle  by  ropes  strung  with  wooden  counters,  and  an- 
other rope  round  the  neck,  into  which  you  put  your 
foot  as  you  scramble  over  the  high  front  upon  the  top 


A PACK-HORSE  AND  PACK-SADDLE. 


123 


of  the  erection.  The  load  must  be  carefully  balanced, 
or  it  comes  to  grief,  and  the  mago  handles  it  all  over 
first,  and  if  an  accurate  division  of  weight  is  impossible, 
adds  a stone  to  one  side  or  the  other.  Here,  women 
svbo  wear  enormous  rain  hats  and  gird  their  Jcimonoi 
over  tight  blue  trousers,  both  load  the  horses  and  lead 
tliem.  I dropped  upon  my  loaded  horse  from  the  top 
of  a wall,  the  ridges,  bars,  tags,  and  knotted  rigging  of 


JAPARESB  FACS-HOBSE. 


the  saddle  being  smoothed  over  by  a folded  futon.,  oi 
wadded  cotton  quilt,  and  I was  then  fourteen  inches 
above  the  animal’s  back,  with  my  feet  hanging  over  his 
neck.  You  must  balance  yourself  carefully,  or  you 
bring  the  whole  erection  over,  but  balancing  soon  be- 
comes a matter  of  habit.  If  the  horse  does  not  stum- 
ble, the  pack-saddle  is  tolerable  on  level  ground,  but 
most  severe  on  the  spine  in  going  up-hill,  and  so  intol- 


124 


UNBEATEN  TBACKS  IN  JAPAN. 


erable  in  going  down  that  T was  relieved  when  I found 
that  I Jiad  slid  over  the  horse’s  head  into  a mud-hole ; 
and  you  are  quite  helpless,  as  he  does  not  understand  a 
bridle,  if  you  have  one,  and  blindly  follows  his  leader, 
who  trudges  on  six  feet  in  front  of  him. 

The  first  part  of  the  road  is  tolerable,  though  there  are 
several  flights  of  steps,  and  lies  through  a glen  among 
waterfalls,  temples,  scattered  farms,  and  poor  hamlets,  in 
which  most  of  the  people  were  making  wooden  trays 
which  are  lacquered  in  Hachiishi.  When  we  reached 
the  hamlet  of  Magaeshi  (horse  turn  back)  Ito  and  the 
female  mago  stopped  to  smoke  at  a wayside  tea-house 
with  a lovely  garden,  and  I walked  on  for  two  miles 
along  the  rude  zigzag  track  through  what  in  freshets  is 
the  broad  bed  of  a rampageous  torrent,  and  is  now  a 
wreck  of  lava  boulders  tlireaded  by  the  impetuous 
Daiyagawa.  The  glen  becomes  a gorge  with  loft; 
walls  of  basalt,  the  rushing  stream  is  crossed  frequently 
on  bridges  made  of  poles  loosely  covered  with  soil  and 
twigs,  Nantaisan  apparently  blocks  all  progress  several 
times,  but  still  the  river  and  the  track  circumvent  him, 
till,  after  ascending  2000  feet  through  a gorge  of  ever- 
increasing  grandeur,  we  came  to  a precipice  and  a 
broad  chasm  banked  across,  from  which  there  is  a mag- 
nificent view  of  snow-slashed  mountains,  cleft  b}’  two 
converging  ravines  of  great  depth,  terminatmg  in 
ledges  over  which  two  fine  waterfalls  precipitate  them- 
selves. It  is  said  that  there  are  740  steps  in  the  seven 
miles  between  Nikko  and  Chiuzenjii,  most  of  which  are 
on  the  final  two  miles.  A bridle  track  zigzags  up  the 
steep  sides  of  mountains,  and,  to  facilitate  the  ascent, 
there  are  long  staircases  of  logs,  which  the  horses  don't 
like,  and  they  have  made  tracks  on  each  edge  consist- 
ing of  mud-holes  over  a foot  deep,  with  corrugations 
between  them. 


A DESERTED  VILLAGE. 


126 


Views  through  the  trees  became  more  and  more 
magnificent,  and  at  the  top  of  the  ascent,  by  which  we 
had  attained  a height  of  3000  feet,  we  came  upon  the 
lovely  lake  of  Chiuzenjii  lying  asleep  at  the  feet  of 
Nantaisan,  a mirror  of  peace,  reflecting  in  its  unrippled 
waters  the  deep  green  of  the  steep,  wooded  hills  on  its 
farthei  shore.  Nantaisan  is  worshipped,  and  on  its 
rugged  summit  3500  feet  above  the  lake,  there  is  a 
small  Shinto  shrine  with  a rock  beside  it  on  which 
about  a hundred  rusty  sword-blades  lie  — offerings 
made  by  remorseful  men  whose  deeds  of  violence 
Haunted  them  till  they  went  there  on  pilgrimage  and 
deposited  the  instruments  of  their  crimes  before  the 
shrine  of  the  mountain  god.  A singularly  mournful- 
looking,  deserted  village  of  rows  of  long,  grey,  barrack- 
like houses,  skirts  the  lake  for  some  distance,  and  the 
two  or  three  tea-houses  which  exist  hardly  give  it  the 
appearance  of  being  inhabited.  Even  these  are  closed 
in  October  for  the  winter,  and  twelve  men  take  turns 
of  five  days  each  to  look  after  the  property.  But  in 
July  the  quiet  village  is  crowded  with  pilgrims,  and 
the  long,  grey  barracks  are  thronged,  for  on  a steep 
acclivity  there  is  a large  red  temple  with  a black  torii, 
a very  sacred  place  indeed,  for  it  is  tlie  original  shrine 
of  the  Gongen  of  NikkS.  There  is  nothing  solemn  or 
devout  in  ordinary  Japanese  pilgrimage.  Except  under 
special  circumstances,  it  is  merely  a holiday  “ outing,” 
a grandly  sociable  frolic. 

I followed  a priest  with  a shaven  skull  on  a horse  led 
by  a girl,  through  several  miles  of  dense  wood  of  oak, 
horse  and  Spanish  chestnuts,  pines,  elm,  and  several 
species  of  maples,  with  a lavish  undergrowth  of  azalea, 
privet,  syringa,  hydrangea,  grape  vines,  bamboo  grass, 
and  several  beautiful  flowering  shrubs  that  I do  not 
know,  the  path  following  the  curve  of  the  lake  so  closely 


126 


UNBEATEN  TRACKS  IN  JAPAN. 


that  one  hears  its  tiny  wavelets  lapping  on  the  shiagle, 
the  whole  time.  The  thing  that  pleased  me  most  was 
a blaze  of  rose-crimson  azaleas  fully  fifteen  feet  high 
such  a mass  of  blossom,  that  their  leaves,  if  they  had 
any,  were  concealed.  The  path  for  some  distance  was 
lighted  by  them.  I saw  two  thick  snakes  about  four 
feet  long,  one  green,  the  other  red  and  brown,  coiled 
up  on  the  flat  branches  of  trees,  apparently  in  a torpid 
state. 

On  leaving  tlie  lake  the  track  makes  a steep  ascent, 
the  boom  of  tumbling  water  is  heard,  and  a sudden 
turn  shows  a dilapidated  log  bridge,  and  a vigorous 
mountain  torrent  cascading  its  way  between  rocky 
walls  green  with  every  species  of  damp  greenery,  with 
great  cedars  and  chestnuts  bendmg  over  it,  and  maples 
with  finely  incised  leaves  in  every  rift.  Cedars  had 
long  since  fallen  across  it,  and  were  green  with  moss 
and  ferns ; even  maples  had  found  roothold  in  their 
gigantic  stems,  and  the  whole  arcade,  as  far  as  I could 
see,  was  lighted  with  rose  azaleas,  touched  here  and 
there  by  the  slant  rays  of  the  afternoon  sun.  It  was  so 
exquisitely  lovely  that,  restmg  on  a prostrate  Buddha, 
I was  glad  to  wait  an  hour  for  my  attendants,  whom  I 
had  left  drinking  (tea)  and  smoking  at  Chiuzenjii. 

Passing  over  a swampish  level,  another  ascent  brought 
us  to  the  Yumoto  lake,  a lovely  sheet  of  deep  green 
water,  deeply  shadowed  by  high,  heavily  timbered  moun- 
tains, and  into  a forest  of  extreme  beauty,  where  the 
ground  looks  as  if  a mountain  of  rock  had  been  blown 
into  pieces,  some  huge,  some  small,  but  all  with  sharp 
angles.  Not  an  exposed  fragment  was  to  be  seen. 
They  were  all  smothered  in  the  greenery  which  riots 
in  damp,  exquisite  mosses,  liverworts,  Hymenophyllums. 
and  the  filmy  and  feathery  Trichomanes  radicans.  The 
trees  were  all  magnificent  cedars,  and  there  was  a fra- 


TABOTA  ANB  ATTENBANT. 


127 


grant  twilight  in  their  deep  shade,  only  lighted  by 
flame-coloured  azaleas. 

The  pace  of  the  pack-horse  was  so  aggravating  that 
I was  glad  to  emerge  from  the  chilly  wood  upon  the 
lake,  from  which  the  last  sunlight  was  fading,  for  it  is 
walled  in  by  high  mountains,  one  of  which,  Shiraneyar 
ma,  just  above  Yumoto,  is  8500  feet  high,  and  its  deep 
ravines  are  still  full  of  snow  lying  among  the  trees. 
The  road  ends  here,  though  good  pedestrians,  well 
guided,  can  cross  the  mountaius  in  two  directions. 
The  entrance  to  Yumoto  is  disfigured  by  an  open  bath- 
house, in  which  numbers  of  nude  people  were  lying  in 
fumes  of  sulphuretted  hydrogen ; for  this  cul  de  sac  is 
a famous  watering-place,  much  resorted  to  in  cases  of 
rheumatism  and  obstinate  skin  diseases ; and  several 
sulphur  springs,  after  being  utilised  in  baths,  fall  into 
the  lake  at  this  point  with  a strong  sulphurous  smell 
rising  from  blue  water  with  a yellow  scum  upon  it. 

The  hard  day’s  journey  ended  in  an  exquisite  yadoya, 
beautiful  within  and  without,  and  more  fit  for  fairies 
than  for  travel-soiled  mortals.  The  fusuma  are  light 
planed  wood  with  a sweet  scent,  the  matting  nearly 
white,  the  balconies  polished  pine.  On  entering,  a 
smiling  girl  brought  me  some  plum-flower  tea  with  a 
delicate  almond  flavour,  a sweatmeat  made  of  beaus 
and  sugar,  and  a lacquer  bowl  of  frozen  snow.  After 
making  a difficult  meal  from  a fowl  of  much  experience, 
I spent  the  evening  out  of  doors,  as  a Japanese  water- 
ing-place is  an  interesting  novelty. 

There  is  scarcely  room  between  the  lake  and  the 
mountains  for  the  picturesque  village  with  its  trim  neat 
houses  one  above  another,  built  of  reddish  cedar  newly 
planed.  The  snow  lies  ten  feet  deep  here  in  wdnter, 
and  on  October  10  the  people  -wrap  their  beautifid 
dwellings  up  in  coarse  matting,  not  even  leaving  the 


12!:  UNBEATEN  TRACKS  IN  JAPAN. 

roofs  uncovered,  and  go  to  the  low  country  till  May  10, 
leaving  one  man  in  charge,  who  is  relieved  once  a week. 
Were  the  houses  mine  I should  be  tempted  to  wrap 
them  up  on  every  rainy  day ! I did  quite  the  wrong 


ATTENDANT  AT  TEA-HOUBB. 


thing  in  riding  here.  It  is  proper  to  be  carried  up  in  a 
kago  or  covered  basket. 

The  village  consists  of  two  short  streets,  8 feet  wide, 
composed  entirel}^  of  yadoyas  of  various  grades,  vdth  a 
picturesquely  varied  frontage  of  deep  eaves,  graceful 
balconies,  rows  of  Chinese  lanterns,  and  open  lowei 


A “squeeze:' 


129 


fronts.  The  place  is  full  of  people,  and  the  four  bath- 
ing-sheds were  crowded.  Some  energetic  invalids  bathe 
twelve  times  a day ! Everyone  who  was  walkuig  about 
carried  a blue  towel  over  his  arm,  and  the  rails  of  the 
balconies  were  covered  with  blue  towels  hanging  to  dry. 
1 here  can  be  very  little  amusement.  The  mountains 
rise  at  once  from  the  village,  and  are  so  covered  with 
jungle  that  one  can  only  walk  in  the  short  streets  or 
along  the  track  by  which  I came.  There  is  one  covered 
boat  for  excursions  on  the  lake,  and  a few  geishas  were 
playing  the  samisen  ; but  as  gaming  is  illegal,  and  there 
is  no  place  of  public  resort  except  the  bathing-sheds, 
people  must  spend  nearly  all  their  time  in  bathing, 
sleeping,  smoking,  and  eating.  The  great  spring  is  be- 
yond the  village,  in  a square  tank  in  a mound.  It  bub- 
bles up  with  much  strength,  giving  off  fetid  fumes. 
There  are  broad  boards  laid  at  intervals  across  it,  and 
people  crippled  with  rheumatism  go  and  lie  for  hours 
upon  them,  for  the  advantage  of  the  sulphurous  steam. 
The  temperature  of  the  spring  is  130°  F. ; but  after  the 
water  has  travelled  to  the  village  along  an  open  wooden 
pipe,  it  is  only  84°.  Yumoto  is  over  4000  feet  high,  and 
very  cold. 

Irimichi.  — Before  leaving  Yumoto  I saw  the  modus 
operandi  of  a “squeeze.”  I a^ked  for  the  bill,  when, 
instead  of  giving  it  to  me,  the  host  ran  upstairs  and 
asked  Ito  how  much  it  should  be,  the  two  dividing  the 
overcharge.  Your  servant  gets  a “squeeze”  on  every- 
thing you  buy,  and  on  your  hotel  expenses,  and,  as  it  is 
managed  very  adroitly,  and  you  cannot  prevent  it,  it  is 
best  not  to  worry  about  it  so  long  as  it  keeps  within 
reasonable  limits. 

In  returning  I visited  the  Yu-no-taki  Falls,  formed  by 
the  overflow  of  the  Yumoto  Lake,  in  which  a large  bodj- 
of  v/ater,  in  rushing  over  finely  corrugated  black  rock 


130 


UNBEATEN  TRACKS  IN  JAPAN. 


at  an  angle  of  40°,  is  divided  into  thousands  of  separate 
cascades  with  the  appearance  of  shred  silk.  Another 
fall,  Iv4gon-no-taki,  where  the  Daiya  leaps  from  the 
Chiuzenjii  Lake  into  a deep  cauldron  with  a foreground 
of  rose  azaleas  then  lighted  by  a sunbeam,  and  a back- 
ground of  abrupt  but  very  lofty  mountains  covered 
with  conifer®,  was  a magnificent  sight,  and  scarcely  less 
so  the  vanishing  of  the  Daiya  into  a stupendous  cleft. 
A zigzag  path  on  the  face  of  the  precipice  tends  to  a 
view-point  200  feet  below,  with  the  amusing  notice  that 
no  old  people,  young  children,  or  people  who  have  had 
too  much  sake,  are  to  go  down.  Wherever  a view  is 
specially  beautiful  there  are  sure  to  be  covered  seats 
and  possibilities  for  eating,  and  this  was  not  an  excep- 
tion. 

Torrents  of  rain  came  on,  the  rivers  and  streams 
swelled  rapidl}^ ; the  reverberation  of  the  200  waterfalls 
which  NikkO  is  said  to  possess  filled  the  air  ; the  horse 
slid  rather  than  stepped  down  the  muddy  hill-sides. 
Near  Irimichi  the  road  became  a rapid,  which  cascaded 
over  the  stone  steps  with  some  violence,  and  I arrived 
with  clothing  and  baggage  soaked,  to  find  a foreign 
gentleman  and  lady  drying  their  clothes  on  the  front  of 
my  balcony,  and  my  lovely  rooms  occupied.  I was  so 
rejoiced,  however,  to  see  people  of  my  own  race  and 
speech,  that  I gladly  took  the  back  room,  and  as  soon 
as  we  were  all  equipped  in  dry  clothes,  I made  their 
acquaintance,  and  found  that  they  were  Mr.  and  iSlrs. 
Ciiauncey  Goodrich  from  Peking  on  their  honej'moon 
journey.^  I.  L.  B. 

1 We  fraternised  very  cordially,  and  I heard  afterwards  with  deep 
regret  that  Mrs.  Goodrich,  who  was  then  suffering  from  the  < ffect  of  the 
oad  water  at  Kasukahe,  only  lived  for  a few  weeks. 


PEACEFUL  MONOTONY. 


13J 


DOMESTIC  LIFE. 

Peaceful  Monotony  — A Japanese  School  — A dismal  Ditty  — Punish- 
ment — A Children’s  Party  — A juvenile  Belle  — Female  K arnes  — 
A juvenile  Drama  — Needlework  — Calligraphy  — Kaiiaya  — Daily 
Routine  — An  Evening’s  Entertainment  — Planning  Routes  — The 
God-shelf. 

Ibimichi,  Nikko,  June  23. 

My  peacefully  monotonous  life  here  is  nearly  at  an 
end.  The  people  are  so  quiet  and  kindly,  though  al- 
most too  still,  and  I have  learned  to  know  something  of 
the  externals  of  village  life,  and  have  become  quite  fond 
of  the  place.  But  the  climate  is  a disappointment. 
When  it  does  not  rain  the  air  is  like  a vapour  bath,  and 
when  it  rains,  which  it  generally  does,  it  pours  m even 
torrents.  The  temperature  is  from  72°  to  86°,  and  in 
the  steaminess  needles  rust,  books  and  boots  become 
covered  with  mildew,  and  the  roads  and  walls  grow 
greener  every  day  with  the  Protococcus  viridis.  The 
air  is  very  relaxing,  and  does  not  dispose  one  for  long 
walks,  though  I have  made  a point  of  seeing  everything, 
usually  accompanied  by  Kanaya  and  Ito.  After  the 
temples,  the  waterfalls,  and  the  grand  views  of  the 
horseshoe  range  of  snowy  mountains  which  surrounds 
Nikko,  with  its  five  principal  peaks  of  Nantai,  Akanagi, 
Nioho,  and  the  great  and  little  Manage,  and  after  sur- 
v'eying  from  a hill,  called  Tozama,  the  plain  I crossed 
from  Yedo,  stretching  away  beyond  the  billowy  undula- 
tions of  the  foothills,  as  far  as  the  Tsukuba  peaks,  the 
village  life  around  has  been  my  chief,  or  rather  I should 
say  my  first,  interest. 


132 


UNBEATEN  TRACKS  IN  JAPAN. 


The  Tillage  of  Irimichi,  which  epitomises  for  me  at 
present  the  village  life  of  Japan,  consists  of  about  three 
hundred  houses  built  along  three  roads,  across  which 
steps  in  fours  and  threes  are  placed  at  intervals.  Down 
the  middle  of  each  a rapid  stream  runs  in  a stone 
channel,  and  this  gives  endless  amusement  to  the  chil- 
di’en,  specially  to  the  boys,  who  devise  many  ingenious 
models  and  mechanical  toys,  which  are  put  in  motion 
by  water  wheels.  But  at  7 A.m.  a drum  beats  to  summon 
the  children  to  a school  whose  buildings  would  not  dis 
credit  any  school-board  at  home.  Too  much  European- 
ised I thought  it,  and  hhe  cliildren  looked  v^ery  uncom- 
fortable sitting  on  liigh  benches  in  front  of  desks,  instead 
of  squatting,  native  fashion.  The  school  apparatus  is 
very  good,  and  there  are  fine  maps  on  the  walls.  The 
teacher,  a man  about  twenty-five,  made  v'ery  free  use  of 
the  black-board,  and  questioned  his  pupils  with  much 
rapidity.  The  best  answer  moved  its  giver  to  the  head 
of  the  class,  as  with  us.  Obedience  is  the  foundation 
of  the  Japanese  social  order,  and  with  children  accus- 
tomed to  unquestioning  obedience  at  home  the  teacher 
has  no  trouble  in  securing  quietness,  attention,  and 
docility.  There  was  almost  a painful  earnestness  in  the 
old-fashioned  faces  which  pored  ov^er  the  school  books ; 
even  such  a rare  event  as  the  entrance  of  a foreigner 
failed  to  distract  these  childish  students.  The  younger 
pupils  were  taught  chiefly  by  object  lessons,  and  the 
older  were  exercised  in  reading  geographical  and  his- 
torical books  aloud,  a very  high  key  being  adopted,  and 
a most  disagreeable  tone,  both  with  the  Chinese  and 
Japanese  pronunciation.  Arithmetic  and  the  elements 
of  some  of  the  branches  of  natural  plnlosophy  are  also 
taught.  The  children  recited  a verse  of  poetry  which  I 
understood  contained  the  whole  of  the  simple  syllabary 
It  has  been  translated  thus : — 


PUNISHMENT. 


133 


“ Colour  and  perfume  vanish  away. 

SVhat  can  be  lasting  in  this  world  ? 

To-day  disappears  in  the  abyss  of  nothingness  ; 

It  is  but  the  passing  image  of  a dream,  and  causes  only  a slight 
trouble.” 

It  is  the  echo  of  the  wearied  sensualist’s  cry  “Vanity 
of  vanities,  all  is  vanity,”  and  indicates  the  singular 
Oriental  distaste  for  life,  but  is  a dismal  ditty  for  young 
children  to  learn.  The  Chinese  classics,  formerly  the 
basis  of  Japanese  education,  are  now  mainly  taught  as 
a vehicle  for  conveying  a knowledge  of  the  Chinese 
character,  in  acquiring  even  a moderate  acquaintance 
with  which  the  children  undergo  a great  deal  of  useless 
toil. 

The  penalties  for  bad  conduct  used  to  be  a few  blows 
with  a switch  on  the  front  of  the  leg,  or  a slight  burn 
with  the  moxa  on  the  forefinger  — still  a common  pun- 
ishment in  households ; but  I understood  the  teacher  to 
say  that  detention  in  the  schoolhouse  is  the  only  punish- 
ment now  resorted  to,  and  he  expressed  great  disappro- 
bation of  our  plan  of  imposing  an  added  task.  When 
twelve  o’clock  came  the  children  marched  in  orderly 
fashion  out  of  the  school  grounds,  the  boys  in  one  divis- 
ion and  the  girls  in  another,  after  which  they  quietly 
dispersed. 

The  Government  has  already  done  a great  deal  in 
putting  education  witlrin  the  reach  of  all  classes,  but 
there  are  as  yet  no  effective  compulsory  arrangements, 
and  out  of  an  estimated  school  population  of  5,000,000, 
only  something  over  2,000,000  are  actually  at  school. 
Teaching  is  likely  to  add  considerably  to  the  occupations 
open  to  women;  800  are  already  so  employed.  The 
NikkS  teacher  is  appointed  by  the  local  Government, 
but  his  pay  depends  on  school  fees  and  on  voluntary 
contributions.  The  fees  are  from  a halfpenny  to  three 


134 


UNBEATEN  TRACKS  IN  JAPAN. 


half-pence  monthly,  according  to  the  means  of  the 
parents ; but  this  does  not  include  ink,  paper,  slates,  or 
books.  He  told  me  that  there  are  thirteen  grades  of 
teachers.  He  is  in  the  eighth,  and  receives  £1  per 
month. 

On  going  home,  the  children  dine,  and  in  the  evening, 
in  nearly  every  house,  you  hear  the  monotonous  hum  of 
the  preparation  of  lessons.  After  dinner  they  are 
liberated  for  play,  but  the  girls  often  hang  about  the 
house  with  babies  on  their  backs  the  whole  afternoon 
nursing  dolls.  One  evening  I met  a procession  of  sixty 
boys  and  girls,  all  carrying  white  flags  with  black  balls, 
except  the  leader,  who  carried  a white  flag  with  a gilded 
ball,  and  they  sang  or  rather  howled  as  they  walked ; 
but  the  other  amusements  have  been  of  a most  sedentary 
kind.  The  mechanical  toys,  worked  by  water-  wheels  in 
the  stream,  are  most  fascinating. 

Formal  children’s  parties  have  been  given  in  this 
house,  for  which  formal  invitations,  in  the  name  of  the 
house-child,  a girl  of  twelve,  are  sent  out.  About  3 
p.M.  the  guests  arrive,  frequently  attended  by  servants  ; 
and  this  child,  Haru,  receives  them  at  the  top  of  the 
stone  steps,  and  conducts  each  into  the  reception  room, 
where  they  are  arranged  according  to  some  well-under- 
stood  rules  of  precedence.  Ham’s  hair  is  drawn  back, 
raised  in  front,  and  gathered  into  a double  loop,  in 
which  some  scarlet  crej>e  is  twisted.  Her  face  and 
throat  are  much  whitened,  the  paint  terminating  in 
three  points  at  the  back  of  the  neck,  from  which  all  the 
short  hair  has  been  carefully  extracted  with  pincers. 
Her  lips  are  slightly  touched  with  red  paint,  and  her 
face  looks  like  that  of  a cheap  doll.  She  wears  a blue, 
flowered  silk  kimono,  with  sleeves  touching  the  ground, 
a blue  girdle  lined  with  scarlet,  and  a fold  of  scarlet 
orepe  lies  between  her  painted  neck  and  her  kimono 


A JUVENILE  DRAMA. 


On  her  little  feet  she  wears  white  tabi,  socks  of  cotton 
cloth,  with  a separate  place  for  the  great  toe,  so  as  to 
allow  the  scarlet-covered  thongs  of  the  finely  lacquered 
clogs,  which  she  puts  on  when  she  stands  on  the  stone 
steps  to  receive  her  guests,  to  pass  between  it  and  the 
smaller  toes.  All  the  other  little  ladies  were  dressed  in 
the  same  style,  and  all  looked  like  ill-executed  dolls. 
She  met  them  with  very  formal  but  graceful  bows. 

When  they  were  all  assembled,  she  and  her  very 
graceful  mother,  squatting  before  each,  presented  tea 
and  sweetmeats  on  lacquer  trays,  and  then  they  played 
at  very  quiet  and  polite  games  till  dusk.  They  addressed 
each  other  by  their  names  with  the  honorific  prefix  0, 
only  used  in  the  case  of  women,  and  the  respectful  affix 
San;  thus  Haru  becomes  0-Haru-San,  which  is  equiva- 
lent to  “ Miss.”  A mistress  of  a house  is  addressed  as 
0-Kami-San^  and  0-Kusuma  — something  like  “ my 
lady”  — is  used  to  married  ladies.  Women  have  no 
surnames;  thus  you  do  not  speak  of  Mrs.  Saguchi,  but 
of  the  wife  of  Saguchi  San;  and  you  would  address 
her  as  0-Kusuvia.  Among  the  children’s  names  were 
Haru.,  Spring ; YuM.,  Snow ; Hana.,  Blossom ; Kiku, 
Chrysanthemum ; Grin,  Silver. 

One  of  their  games  was  most  amusing,  and  was 
played  with  some  spirit  and  much  dignity.  It  consisted 
in  one  child  feigning  sickness,  and  another  playing  the 
doctor,  and  the  pompousness  and  gravity  of  the  latter, 
and  the  distress  and  weakness  of  the  former,  were  most 
successfully  imitated.  Unfortunately  the  doctor  killed 
his  patient,  who  counterfeited  the  death  sleep  very 
effectively  with  her  whitened  face ; and  then  followed 
the  funeral  and  the  mourning.  They  dramatise  thus 
weddings,  dinner-parties,  and  many  other  of  the  events 
of  life.  The  dignity  and  self-jiossession  of  these  chil- 
dren are  wonderful.  The  fad  is  that  their  initiation 


136 


UNBEATEN  TRACICS  IN  JAPAN. 


into  aii  that  is  required  by  the  rules  of  Japanese  eti 
quette  begins  as  soon  as  they  can  speak,  so  that  by  the 
time  they  are  ten  years  old  they  know  exactl}'  what  to 
do  and  avoid  under  all  possible  circumstances.  Before 
they  went  away,  tea  and  sweetmeats  were  again  handed 
round,  and  as  it  is  neither  etiquette  to  refuse  them,  nor 
to  leave  anything  behind  that  you  have  once  taken, 
several  of  the  small  ladies  slipped  the  residue  into  their 
capacious  sleeves.  On  departing,  the  same  formal 
courtesies  were  used  as  on  arriving. 

Yuki,  Haru’s  mother,  speaks,  acts,  and  moves  with  a 
charming  gracefulness.  Except  at  night,  and  when 
friends  drop  in  to  afternoon  tea,  as  they  often  do,  she  is 
always  either  at  domestic  avocations,  such  as  cleaning, 
sewing,  or  cooking,  or  planting  vegetables,  or  weeding 
them.  All  Japanese  girls  learn  to  sew  and  to  make 
their  own  clothes,  but  there  are  none  of  the  mysteries 
and  difficulties  which  make  the  sewing  lesson  a thing 
of  dread  with  us.  The  kimono.,  haori,  and  girdle,  and 
even  the  long  hanging  sleeves,  have  only  parallel  seams, 
and  these  are  only  tacked  or  basted,  as  the  garments, 
when  washed,  are  taken  to  pieces,  and  each  piece,  after 
being  very  slightly  stiffened,  is  stretched  upon  a board 
to  dry.  There  is  no  underclothing,  with  its  bands, 
frills,  gussets,  and  buttonholes ; the  poorer  women  wear 
none,  and  those  above  them  wear,  like  Yuki,  an  under- 
dress of  a frothy-looking  silk  crepe.,  as  simply  made  as 
the  upper  one.  There  are  circulating  libraries  here,  as 
m most  villages,  and,  in  the  evening,  both  Yuki  and 
Ilaru  read  love  stories,  or  accounts  of  ancient  heroes 
and  heroines,  di-essed  up  to  suit  the  popular  taste,  writ- 
ten in  the  easiest  possible  style.  Ito  has  about  ten  vol- 
umes of  novels  in  his  room,  and  spends  half  the  night 
in  reading  them. 

Both  Yuki  and  Haru  write  easily,  but  female  writing 


CALLIGRAPHY. 


137 


is  differeut  from  that  of  men,  being,  as  is  usual  with  us, 
more  of  a running  hand,  and  the  style  is  non-classical, 
and,  besides  containing  many  abbreviations  and  expres- 
sions not  in  use  among  men,  a syntax  varying  from  that 
of  the  ordinary  spoken  language  is  used,  and  the  hiror 
gana.,  or  simple  syllabary,  and  a special  size  and  quality 
of  paper,  and  a feminine  gracefulness  in  curving  the 
characters,  are  also  matters  of  etiquette. 

Yuki’s  son,  a lad  of  thirteen,  often  comes  to  my  room 
to  display  his  skill  in  writing  the  Chinese  character. 
He  is  a very  bright  boy,  and  shows  considerable  talent 
for  drawing.  Indeed,  it  is  only  a short  step  from  writ- 
ing to  drawing.  Giotto’s  O hardly  involved  more  breadth 
and  vigour  of  touch  than  some  of  these  characters. 
They  are  written  with  a camel’s  hair  brush  dipped  in 
Indian  ink,  instead  of  a pen,  and  this  boy,  with  two  or 
three  vigorous  touches,  produces  characters  a foot  long, 
such  as  are  mounted  and  hung  as  tablets  outside  the 
different  shops.  Yuki  plays  the  samisen.,  which  may  be 
regarded  as  the  national  female  instrument,  and  Haru 
goes  to  a teacher  daily  for  lessons  on  the  same. 

The  art  of  arranging  flowers  is  taught  in  manuals, 
the  study  of  which  forms  part  of  a girl’s  education,  and 
there  is  scarcely  a day  in  which  my  room  is  not  newly 
decorated.  It  is  an  education  to  me ; I am  beginning 
to  appreciate  the  extreme  beauty  of  solitude  in  decora- 
tion. In  the  alcove  hangs  a Icakemono  of  exquisite 
beauty,  a single  blossoming  branch  of  the  cherry.  On 
one  panel  of  a folding  screen  there  is  a single  iris.  The 
vases  which  hang  so  gracefully  on  the  poiished  posts 
con  tarn  each  a single  peony,  a single  iris,  a single  azalea, 
stalk,  leaves,  and  corolla,  all  displayed  iu  their  full 
beauty.  Can  anything  be  more  grotesque  and  barbar- 
ous than  our  “ florists’  bouquets,”  a series  of  concentric 
rings  of  flowers  of  divers  colours,  bordered  by  maiden- 


138 


UNBEATEN  TRACKS  IN  JAPAN. 


hair  and  a piece  of  stiff  lace  paper,  in  which  stems, 
leaves,  and  even  petals  are  brutally  crushed,  and  the 
grace  and  individuality  of  each  flower  systematically 
destroyed  ? 

Kanaya  is  the  chief  man  in  this  village,  besides  being 
the  leader  of  the  dissonant  squeaks  and  discords  which 
represent  music  at  the  Shinto  festivals,  and  in  some 
mysterious  back  region  he  compounds  and  sells  drugs. 
Since  I have  been  here  the  beautification  of  his  garden 
has  been  his  chief  object,  and  he  has  made  a very  re- 
spectable waterfall,  a rushing  stream,  a small  lake,  a 
rustic  bamboo  bridge,  and  several  grass  banks,  and  has 
transplanted  several  large  trees.  He  kindly  goes  out 
with  me  a good  deal,  and  as  he  is  very  intelligent,  and 
fto  is  proving  an  excellent,  and,  I think,  a faithful  in- 
terpreter, I find  it  very  pleasant  to  be  here. 

They  rise  at  daylight,  fold  up  the  wadded  quilts  or 
futons  on  and  under  which  they  have  slept,  and  put 
them  and  the  wooden  pillows,  much  like  stereoscopes  in 
shape,  with  little  rolls  of  paper  or  wadding  on  the  top, 
into  a press  with  a sliding  door,  sweep  the  mats  care- 
fully, dust  all  the  woodwork  and  the  verandahs,  open 
the  amado  — wooden  shutters  which,  by  sliding  in  a 
groove  along  the  edge  of  the  verandah,  box  in  the 
whole  house  at  night,  and  retire  into  an  ornamental  pro- 
jection in  the  day  — and  throw  the  paper  windows 
back.  Breakfast  follows,  then  domestic  avocations,  din- 
ner at  one,  and  sewing,  gardening,  and  ■\fisiting  till  six, 
when  they  take  the  evening  meal. 

Visitors  usually  arrive  soon  afterwards  and  stay  till 
eleven  or  twelve.  Japanese  chess,  story-telling,  and  the 
samisen  fill  up  the  early  part  of  the  evening,  but  later, 
an  agonising  performance,  which  they  call  singing,  be- 
gins, which  sounds  like  the  very  essence  of  heathenish 
ness,  and  consists  mainly  in  a prolonged  vibrating  “ No.’ 


AN  EVENING'S  ENTERTAINMENT. 


129 


As  soon  as  I hear  it  I feel  as  if  I were  among  savages. 
Sake  or  rice-beer  is  always  passed  round  before  the 
visitors  leave,  in  little  cups  with  the  gods  of  luck  at  the 
bottom  of  them.  Sake.,  when  heated,  mounts  readily 
to  the  head,  and  a single,  small  cup  excites  the  half- 
witted man-servant  to  some  very  foolish  musical  per- 
fcnnances.  I am  sorry  to  write  it,  but  his  master  and 
mistress  take  great  pleasure  in  seeing  him  make  a fool 
of  himself,  and  Ito,  who  is  from  policy  a total  abstainer, 
goes  into  convulsions  of  laughter. 

One  evening  I was  invited  to  join  the  family,  and 
they  entertained  me  by  showing  me  picture  and  guide 
books.  Most  Japanese  provinces  have  their  guide- 
books, illustrated  by  woodcuts  of  the  most  striking 
objects,  and  giving  itineraries,  names  of  yadoyas.,  and 
other  local  information.  One  volume  of  pictures  very 
finely  executed  on  silk  was  more  than  a century  old. 
Old  gold  lacquer  and  china,  and  some  pieces  of  antique 
embroidered  silk,  were  also  produced  for  my  benefit, 
and  some  musical  instruments  of  great  beauty,  said  to 
be  more  than  two  centuries  old.  None  of  these  treas- 
ures are  kept  in  the  house,  but  in  the  kura  or  fireproof 
storehouse  close  by.  The  rooms  are  not  encumbered 
by  ornaments ; a single  kakemono,  or  fine  piece  of  lac- 
quer or  china  appears  for  a few  days  and  then  makes 
way  for  something  else ; so  they  have  variety  as  well  as 
simplicity,  and  each  object  is  enjoyed  in  its  turn  with- 
out distraction. 

Kanaya  and  his  sister  often  pay  me  an  evening  visit, 
and,  with  Brunton’s  map  on  the  floor,  we  project  aston- 
ishing routes  to  Niigata,  which  are  usually  abruptly 
abandoned  on  finding  a mountain  chain  in  the  way  with 
never  a road  over  it.  The  life  of  these  people  seems 
to  pass  easily  enough,  but  Kanaya  deplores  the  want  of 
money ; he  would  like  to  be  rich,  and  intends  to  build 
a hotel  for  foreigners. 


140 


UNBEATEN  TRACKS  IN  JAPAN. 


The  only  vestige  of  religion  in  his  house  is  the  kami' 
dana  or  god-shelf,  on  which  stands  a wooden  shrine  Like 
a Shinto  temple,  which  contains  the  memorial  tablets  to 
deceased  relations.  Each  morning  a sprig  of  evergreen 
and  a little  rice  and  sake  are  placed  before  it,  and  every 
evening  a lighted  lamp. 


DARKNEHS  VISIBLE. 


145 


EVENING  EMPLOYMENTS. 

Darkness  visible  — Nikko  Shops  — Girls  and  Matrons — Night  and 

Sleep  — Parental  Love  — Childish  Docility  — Hair-dressing  — Skin 

Diseases  — The  Moxa  — Acupuncture. 

I don’t  wonder  that  the  Japanese  rise  early,  for  their 
evenings  are  cheerless,  owing  to  the  dismal  illumination. 
In  this  and  other  houses  the  lamp  consists  of  a square 
or  circular  lacquer  stand,  with  four  uprights  2i  feet 
high,  and  panes  of  white  paper.  A flatted  iron  dish 
is  suspended  in  this  full  of  oil,  with  the  pith  of  a rush 
with  a weight  in  the  centre  laid  across  it,  and  one  of  the 
projecting  ends  is  lighted.  This  wretched  apparatus  is 
called  an  andon.,  and  round  its  wretched  “ darkness  visi- 
ble ” the  family  huddles,  the  children  to  play  games 
and  learn  lessons,  and  the  women  to  sew ; for  the  Jap- 
anese daylight  is  short  and  the  houses  are  dark.  Almost 
more  deplorable  is  a candlestick  of  the  same  height  as 
the  andon.,  with  a spike  at  the  top  which  fits  into  a hole 
at  the  bottom  of  a “ farthing  candle  ” of  vegetable  wax, 
with  a thick  wick  made  of  rolled  paper,  which  requires 
constant  snufi&ng,  and,  after  giving  for  a short  time  a 
dim  and  jerky  light,  expires  with  a bad  smell.  Lamps, 
burning  mineral  oils,  native  and  imported,  are  being 
manufactured  on  a large  scale,  but  apart  from  the  peril 
connected  with  them,  the  carriage  of  oil  into  country 
districts  is  very  expensive.  No  Japanese  would  think 
of  sleeping  without  having  an  andon  burning  all  night 
in  his  room. 


142 


UNBEATEN  TRACKS  IN  JAPAN. 


These  villages  are  full  of  shops.  There  is  scarcely  a 
house  which  does  not  sell  something.  Where  the  buy- 
ers come  from,  and  how  a profit  can  be  made,  is  a mys- 
tery. Many  of  the  things  are  eatables,  such  as  dried 
fishes,  1 J inch  long,  impaled  on  sticks ; cakes,  sweet- 
meats composed  of  rice,  flour,  and  very  little  sugar  ; 
circular  lumps  of  rice  dough,  called  mochi ; roots  boiled 
in  brine ; a white  jelly  made  from  beans ; and  ropes, 
straw  shoes  for  men  and  horses,  straw  cloaks,  papei 
umbrellas,  paper  waterproofs,  hair  pins,  tooth  picks, 
tobacco  pipes,  paper  mouchoirs,  and  numbers  of  other 
trifles  made  of  bamboo,  straw,  grass,  and  wood.  These 
goods  are  on  stands,  and  in  the  room  behind,  open  to  the 
street,  all  the  domestic  avocations  are  going  on,  and  the 
housewife  is  usually  to  be  seen  boiling  water  or  sewhig 
with  a baby  tucked  into  the  back  of  her  dress.  A luci- 
fer  factory  has  recently  been  put  up,  and  in  many  house 
fronts  men  are  cutting  up  wood  into  lengths  for  matches. 
In  others  they  are  husking  rice,  a very  laborious  process, 
in  which  the  grain  is  pounded  in  a mortar  sunk  in  the 
floor  by  a flat-ended  wooden  pestle  attached  to  a long 
horizontal  lever,  which  is  worked  by  the  feet  of  a man, 
invariably  naked,  who  stands  at  the  other  extremity. 

In  some  women  are  weaving,  in  others  spinning 
cotton.  Usually  there  are  three  or  four  together,  the 
mother,  the  eldest  son’s  wife,  and  one  or  two  unmariied 
girls.  The  girls  marry  at  sixteen,  and  shortly  these 
comely,  rosy,  wholesome-looking  creatures  pass  into 
haggard,  middle-aged  women  with  vacant  faces,  oving 
to  the  blackening  of  the  teeth  and  removal  of  the  eye- 
brows, wliich,  if  they  do  not  follow  betrothal,  are  re- 
sorted to  on  the  birth  of  the  first  child.  In  other  houses 
women  aie  at  their  toilet,  blackening  tlieir  teeth  before 
circular  metal  mirrors  placed  in  folding  stands  on  the 
mats,  or  performing  ablutions,  Tinclothed  tc  the  waist 


PATERNAL  AFFECTION. 


143 


The  village  is  very  silent  early,  while  the  children  are 
at  school ; their  return  enlivens  it  a little,  but  they  are 
quiet  even  at  play ; at  sunset  the  men  return,  and  things 
are  a little  livelier ; you  hear  a good  deal  of  splashing 
in  baths,  and  after  that  they  carry  about  and  play  with 
their  younger  children,  while  the  older  ones  prepare 
lessons  for  the  following  day  by  reciting  them  in  a high, 
monotonous  twang.  At  dark,  the  paper  windoAvs  are 
drawn,  the  amado,  or  external  wooden  shutters  are 
closed  the  lamp  is  lighted  before  the  family  shrine, 
supper  is  eaten,  the  children  play  at  quiet  games  round 
the  andon ; and  about  ten  the  quilts  and  wooden  pil 
lows  are  produced  from  the  press,  the  amado  are  bolted, 
and  the  family  lies  down  to  sleep  in  one  room.  Small 
trays  of  food  and  the  tahako-hon  are  ahvays  within  reach 
of  adult  sleepers,  and  one  groAvs  quite  accustomed  to 
hear  the  sound  of  ashes  being  knocked  out  of  the  pipe 
at  intervals  during  the  night.  The  children  sit  up  as 
late  as  their  parents,  and  are  included  in  all  their  con- 
versation. 

1 never  saw  people  take  so  much  delight  in  their  off- 
spring, carrying  them  about,  or  holding  their  hands  in 
walking,  watching  and  entering  into  their  games,  sup- 
plying them  constantly  with  new  toys,  taking  them  to 
picnics  and  festivals,  never  being  content  to  be  without 
them,  and  treating  other  people’s  children  also  with  a 
suitable  measure  of  affection  and  attention.  Both 
fathers  and  mothers  take  a pride  in  their  children.  It 
is  most  amusing  about  six  every  morning  to  see  twelve 
or  fourteen  men  sitting  on  a low  Avail,  each  Avith  a chdd 
under  tAvo  in  his  arms,  fondling  and  playing  with  it,  and 
showing  off  its  pliysique  and  intelligence.  To  judge 
irom  appearances,  the  children  form  the  chief  topic  at 
this  morning  gathering.  At  night,  after  the  houses  are 
shut  up,  looking  through  the  long  fringe  of  rope  oi 


141 


UNBEATEN  TBACKS  IN  JAPAN. 


rattan  whicli  conceals  the  sliding  door,  you  see  the 
tather,  who  wears  nothing  but  a maro  in  “ the  bosom 
of  his  family,”  bending  his  ugly,  kindly  face  over  a 
gentle-looking  baby,  and  the  mother,  who  more  often 
than  not  has  dropped  the  kimono  from  her  shoulders, 
enfolding  two  cliildren  destitute  of  clothing,  in  her 
arms.  For  some  reasons  they  prefer  boys,  but  certainly 
girls  are  equally  petted  and  loved.  The  children, 
though  for  our  ideas  too  gentle  and  formal,  are  very 
prepossessing  in  looks  and  behaviour.  They  are  so 
perfectly  docile  and  obedient,  so  ready  to  help  their 
parents,  so  good  to  the  little  ones,  and,  in  the  many  hours 
which  I have  spent  in  watching  them  at  play,  I have 
never  heard  an  angry  word,  or  seen  a sour  look  or  act. 
But  they  are  little  men  and  women  rather  than  children, 
and  their  old-fashioned  appearance  is  greatly  aided  by 
their  dress,  which,  as  I have  remarked  before,  is  the 
same  as  that  of  adults. 

There  are,  however,  various  styles  of  dressing  the  hair 
of  girls,  by  which  you  can  form  a pretty  accurate  esti- 
mate of  any  girl’s  age  up  to  her  marriage,  when  the 
coiffure  undergoes  a definite  change.  The  boj’s  all  look 
top  heavy  and  their  heads  of  an  abnormal  size,  partly 
from  a hideous  practice  of  shaving  the  head  altogether 
for  the  first  three  years.  After  this  the  hair  is  allowed 
to  grow  in  three  tufts,  one  over  each  ear,  and  the  other 
at  the  back  of  the  neck:  as  often,  however,  a tuft  is 
grown  at  the  top  of  the  back  of  the  head.  At  ten,  the 
crown  alone  is  shav’^ed  and  a forelock  is  worn,  and  at 
fifteen,  when  the  boy  assumes  the  responsibilities  of 
manhood,  his  hair  is  allowed  to  grow  like  that  of  a man. 
The  grave  dignity  of  these  boys,  with  the  grotesque 
patterns  on  their  big  heads,  is  most  amusing. 

Would  that  these  much  exposed  skulls  were  always 
smooth  and  clean  ! It  is  painful  to  see  the  prevalence 
of  such  repulsiv^e  maladies  as  scabies,  scald-head,  ring- 


DOMESTIC  SURGERY 


14  b 

worm,  sore  eyes,  and  unwholesome-looking  eruptions, 
and  fully  30  per  cent  of  the  village  people  are  badly 
seamed  with  smallpox. 

The  absence  of  clothing  enables  one  to  study  the 
human  frame,  and  I have  been  puzzled  by  the  constant 
appearance  of  eight  round  marks  like  burns,  four  on 
each  side  of  the  spine,  and  often  as  many  on  the  legs, 
the  chest  and  sides  frequently  coming  in  for  their  share. 
These  marks  are  produced  by  onogusa  (moxa),  small 
cones  of  the  dried  wool  of  the  Artemisia  vulgaris^  which 
are  lighted  and  laid  on  the  skin.  It  is  really  the  excep- 
tion where  the  back  is  not  scarred  by  its  use.  Here, 
these  little  mugwort  cones  are  to  be  found  in  most 
houses,  and  people  are  burned  in  the  spring,  just  as  in 
England  blood-letting  was  formerly  customary  at  the 
same  season.  I saw  the  operation  performed  by  a mother 
on  her  son,  who  bore  it  with  great  equanimity,  but  the 
suppurating  sore  which  follows  is  sometimes  very  pain- 
ful. It  is  not  only  the  old  national  remedy  for  many 
forms  of  disease,  but  it  is  believed  that  its  use  six  times 
is  a specific  against  an  attack  of  Icak'he,  (the  beri-beri  of 
Ceylon  and  India)  which  the  Japanese  justly  dread. 
Another  national  remedy  is  acupuncture,  and  even  non- 
professional people  frequently  employ  it.  One  evening 
Yuki  suffered  from  neuralgia  or  toothache,  and  Kanaya 
produced  a very  fine  gilt  steel  needle,  and  stretching 
the  skin  of  her  cheek  very  tightly,  thrust  it  in  perpen- 
dicularly, rolling  it  gently  between  his  fingers  till  it 
attained  the  desired  depth.  There  is  a drug,  or  compound 
of  “a  hundred  drugs,”  on  which  they  place  such  great 
reliance,  that  the  men  carry  a small  box  of  it  with  them 
m their  girdles  to  the  fields,  to  take  in  case  of  any  pain 
or  uncomfortable  feeling.  Ito  is  never  without  it,  and 
is  constantly  offering  it  to  me.  It  is  a dark  brown 
powder,  with  an  aromatic  taste,  and  a pinch  of  it  diffuses 
a genial  glow  through  the  whole  frame  ! 


M6 


U 2s BEATEN  TRACES  IN  JAPAN. 


SHOPPING. 

Shops  ami  Shopping  — Calculations  — The  Barber’s  Shop  — A Paper 
Waterproof — Ito’s  Vanity  — The  Worship  of  Daikoku — Prepa- 
rations for  the  Journey  — Transport  and  Prices  — Money  and 
Measurements. 

I HAVE  had  to  do  a little  shopping  in  Hachiishi  for 
my  journey.  The  shop-fronts,  you  must  understand, 
are  all  open,  and  at  the  height  of  the  floor,  about  two 
feet  from  the  ground,  there  is  a broad  ledge  of  polished 
wood  on  which  you  sit  down.  A woman  everlastingly 
boiling  water  on  a bronze  hibachi  or  brazier,  shifting  the 
embers  about  deftly  with  brass  tongs  like  chopsticks, 
and  with  a baby  looking  calmly  over  her  shoulders,  is 
the  shopwoman ; but  she  remains  indifferent  till  she 
imagines  that  you  have  a definite  purpose  of  buying, 
when  she  comes  forward  bowing  to  the  ground,  and  I 
politely  rise  and  bow  too.  Then  I or  Ito  ask  the  price 
of  a thing,  and  she  names  it,  very  likely  asking  4s.  for 
what  ought  to  sell  at  6d.  You  say  3s.,  she  laughs  and 
says  3s.  6d.,  you  say  2s.,  she  laughs  agaui  and  says  3s., 
offering  you  the  tabako-hon.  Eventually  the  matter  is 
compromised  by  3"our  giving  her  Is.,  at  which  she 
appears  quite  delighted.  With  a profusion  of  bows 
and  '•'■myo  yiaras " on  each  side,  you  go  away  with  the 
pleasant  feeling  of  having  given  an  industrious  woman 
twice  as  much  as  the  thing  was  worth  to  her,  and  less 
than  what  it  is  worth  to  you  ! 

Between  your  offers  the  saleswoman  makes  great  use 


AN  EMBARRASSING  STARE. 


147 


of  tlie  soi’oban,  a frame  enclosing  some  rows  of  balls 
moving  on  thick  wires,  which  is  used  in  all  business 
transactions  in  Japan,  and  its  use  is  such  a habit,  that  a 
Japanese  cannot  add  two  and  two  together  without  it 
She  is  so  intent  upon  the  balls  that  you  imagine  at  first 
that  she  is  making  an  elaborate  calculation  as  to  whether 
it  would  be  possible  for  her  to  make  even  a fractional 
profit  out  of  the  sum  offered.  Ito  says  that  they  ask  a 
Japanese  the  sum  they  mean  to  take,  and  that  foreigners, 
by  “ bullying  ” and  beating  them  down,  get  things  for 
less  than  natives,  who  are  too  polite  to  follow  the  same 
course.  In  some  shops,  when  I went  away  feeling  that 
the  price  asked,  say  fifty  sen,  was  quite  unreasonable, 
the  saleswoman  shuffled  after  me  offering  me  the  same 
thing  for  twenty.  At  each  shop,  as  soon  as  I sat  down, 
a crowd,  mainly  composed  of  women  and  children,  col- 
lected in  front,  nearly  all  with  babies  on  their  backs, 
contemplating  me  with  a quiet,  grave,  inane  stare, 
somewhat  embarrassing. 

There  are  several  barbers’  shops,  and  the  evening 
seems  a very  busy  time  with  them.  This  operation 
partakes  of  the  general  want  of  privacy  of  the  life  of 
the  village,  and  is  performed  in  the  raised  open  front  of 
the  shop.  Soap,  is  not  used,  and  the  process  is  a painful 
one.  The  victims  let  their  garments  fall  to  their  waists, 
and  each  holds  in  his  left  hand  a lacquered  tray  to 
receive  the  croppings.  The  ugly  Japanese  face  at  this 
time  wears  a most  grotesque  expression  of  stolid  resig- 
nation as  it  is  held  and  pulled  about  by  the  operator, 
who  turns  it  in  all  directions,  that  he  may  judge  of  the 
effect  that  he  is  producing.  The  shaving  the  face  till 
it  is  smootli  and  shiny,  and  the  cutting,  waxing,  and 
tying  of  the  queue  with  twine  made  of  paper,  are  among 
the  evening  sights  of  NikkQ. 

Lacquer  and  thinsrs  curiously  carved  in  wood  are  the 


148 


UNBEATEN  TRACKS  IN  JAPAN. 


great  attractions  of  the  shops,  hut  they  interest  me  fai 
less  than  the  objects  of  utihty  in  Japanese  daily  life, 
with  their  ingenuity  of  contrivance  and  perfection  of 
adaptation  and  workmanship.  A seed  shop,  where  seeds 
are  truly  idealised,  attracts  me  daily.  Tliirty  varieties 
are  offered  for  sale,  as  various  in  form  as  they  are  in 
colour,  and  arranged  most  artistically  on  stands,  while 
some  are  put  up  in  packages  decorated  with  what  one 
may  call  a facsimile  of  the  root,  leaves,  and  flower,  in 
water  colours.  A lad  usually  lies  on  the  mat  behind 
executing  these  very  creditable  pictures  — for  such  they 
are — with  a few  bold  and  apparently  careless  strokes 
with  his  brush.  He  gladly  sold  me  a peony  as  a scrap 
for  a screen  for  three  sen.  My  purchases,  with  this 
exception,  were  necessaries  only  — a paper  waterproof 
cloak,  “ a circular,”  black  outside  and  yellow  inside, 
made  of  square  sheets  of  oiled  paper  cemented  together, 
and  some  large  sheets  of  the  same  for  covering  my 
baggage ; and  I succeeded  in  getting  Ito  out  of  his 
obnoxious  black  wide-awake  into  a basin-shaped  hat 
like  mine,  for  ugly  as  I think  him,  he  has  a large  share 
of  personal  vanity,  whitens  his  teeth,  and  powders  his 
face  carefully  before  a mirror,  and  is  in  great  dread  of 
sunburn.  He  powders  his  hands  too,  and  polishes  his 
nails,  and  never  goes  out  without  gloves. 

I am  surprised  at  the  poverty  of  these  villages. 
There  is  no  upper  class,  and  a middle  class  is  repre- 
sented by  Kanaya  and  another  man  on  the  other  side  of 
the  river.  The  people  -‘rise  early,  and  eat  the  bread  of 
carefulness,”  are  all  in  debt,  and  in  Irimichi,  which  has 
lately  suffered  from  a great  fire,  only  keep  themselves 
afloat.  I am  very  sorry  for  them,  not  only  because  they 
are  poor,  but  because,  though  superstitious,  they  are 
materialists,  and  worship  Daikoku,  the  god  of  wealth, 
vrith  their  bodies  and  spirits.  T wish  they  were  all 


TBANSPOBT  AND  PRICES. 


149 


Christians,  i.e.  that  they  were  pure,  truthful,  self-deny 
ing  followers  of  our  Lord  Christ,  and  realised  the  pithy 
description  of  the  godly  man  given  in  the  Prayer-book 
translation  of  Psalm  cxii.,  “ He  is  merciful,  loving,  and 
righteous.” 

To-morrow  I leave  luxury  behind,  and  plunge  into 
the  interior,  hoping  to  emerge  somehow  upon  the  Sea 
of  Japan.  No  information  can  be  got  here  except 
about  the  route  to  Niigata  which  I have  decided  not  to 
take,  so,  after  much  study  of  Brunton’s  map,  I have 
fixed  upon  one  place,  and  have  said  positively,  “ I go  to 
Tajima.”  If  I reach  it  I can  get  farther,  but  all  I can 
learn  is,  “ It’s  a very  bad  road,  it’s  all  among  the  moun- 
tains.” Ito,  who  has  a great  regard  for  his  own  com- 
forts, tries  to  dissuade  me  from  going,  by  saying  that  I 
shall  lose  mine,  but  as  these  kind  people  have  ingen- 
iously repaired  my  bed  by  doubling  the  canvas  and 
lacing  it  into  holes  in  the  side  poles,^  and  as  I have 
lived  for  the  last  three  days  on  rice,  eggs,  and  coarse  ver- 
micelli about  the  thickness  and  colour  of  earthworms, 
this  prospect  does  not  appal  me  ! In  Japan  there  is  a 
Land  Transport  Company,  called  Rihu-un-lcaisha,  with 
a head-office  in  Tokiyfi,  and  branches  in  various  towns 
and  villages.  It  arranges  for  the  transport  of  travellers 
and  merchandise  by  pack-horses  and  coolies  at  certain 
fixed  rates,  and  gives  receipts  in  due  form.  It  hires  the 
horses  from  the  farmers,  and  makes  a moderate  profit 
on  each  transaction,  but  saves  the  traveller  from  diffi- 
culties, delays,  and  extortions.  The  prices  vary  con- 
siderably in  different  districts,  and  are  regulated  by  the 
price  of  forage,  the  state  of  the  roads,  and  the  number 
of  hireable  horses.  For  a nearly  miles,  they 

1 I advise  every  traveller  in  the  ruder  regions  of  Japan  to  take  a 
similar  stretcher  and  a good  mosquito  net.  With  these  he  may  defy  all 
ordinary  discomforts. 


150 


UNBEATEN  TRACES  IN  JAPAN. 


charge  from  6 to  10  sen  for  a horse  and  the  man  who 
leads  it,  for  a kuruma  with  one  man  from  4 to  9 sew,  for 
the  same  distance,  and  for  baggage  coolies,  about  the 
same.  [This  Transport  Company  is  admirably  organ- 
ised.  I employed  it  in  journeys  of  over  1200  miles, 
and  always  found  it  efficient  and  reliable.]  I intend  to 
make  use  of  it  always,  much  against  Ito’s  wishes,  who 
reckoned  on  many  a prospective  “ squeeze  ” in  dealings 
with  the  farmers. 

My  journey  will  now  be  entirely  over  “unbeaten 
tracks,”  and  will  lead  through  what  may  be  called  “Old 
Japan,”  and  as  it  will  be  natural  to  use  Japanese  words 
for  money  and  distances  for  which  there  are  no  English 
terms,  I give  them  here.  A yen  is  a note  representing 
a dollar,  or  about  3s.  7d.  of  our  money;  a sen  is  some- 
thing less  than  a halfpenny ; a rin  is  a thin  round  coin 
of  iron  or  bronze,  with  a square  hole  in  the  middle,  of 
which  10  make  a sew,  and  1000  a yen  ; and  a tempo  is  a 
handsome  oval  bronze  coin  with  a hole  in  the  centre,  of 
which  5 make  4 sen.  Distances  are  measured  by  rj, 
cAo,  and  ken.  Six  feet  make  one  ken.,  sixty  ken,  one 
cho,  and  thirty-six  cho  one  ri,  or  nearly  24  English 
miles.  When  I write  of  a road  I mean  a bridle-path 
from  four  to  eight  feet  wide,  kuruma  roads  being  speci 
6ed  as  such.  I.  L.  B. 


THE  BEFARTUBE  FROM  NIKK6. 


151 


SCANT  COSTUMES. 

Comfort  disappears  — Fine  Scenery  — An  Alarm  — A Farm-liouse  — 
An  unusual  Costume  — Bridling  a Horse  — Female  Dress  and 
Ugliness  — Babies  — My  Mag o — Beauties  of  the  Kinugawa  — A 
Buddhist  Cemetery  — Fujihara  — My  Servant  — Horse-shoes  — An 
absurd  Mistake. 

FuJiHAitA,  June  24. 

Ito’s  informants  were  right.  Comfort  was  left  be- 
hind at  Nikk8 ! 

A little  woman  brought  two  depressed-looking  mares 
at  6 this  morning ; my  saddle  and  bridle  were  put  on 
one,  and  Ito  and  the  baggage  on  the  other ; my  hosts 
and  I exchanged  cordial  good  wishes  and  obeisances, 
and  with  the  woman  dragging  my  sorry  mare  by  a rope 
round  her  nose,  we  left  the  glorious  shrines  and  solemn 
cryptomeria  groves  of  NikkS  behind,  passed  down  its 
long,  clean  street,  and  where  the  In  Memoriam  avenue 
is  densest  and  darkest  turned  off  to  the  left  by  a path 
like  the  bed  of  a brook,  which  afterwards,  as  a most 
atrocious  trail,  wound  about  among  the  rough  boulders 
of  the  Daiya,  which  it  crosses  often  on  temporary 
bridges  of  timbers  covered  with  branches  and  soil. 
After  crossing  one  of  the  low  spurs  of  the  Nikk6san 
mountains,  we  wound  among  ravines  whose  steep  sides 
are  clothed  -with  maple,  oak,  magnolia,  elm,  pme,  and 
eryptomeria,  linked  together  by  festoons  of  the  redun- 
dant Wistaria  chinensis,  and  brightened  by  azalea  and 
syringa  clusters.  Every  vista  was  blocked  b}"  some 
grand  mountain,  waterfalls  thundered,  bright  streams 


152 


UNBEATEN  TRACKS  IN  JAPAN. 


glanced  through  the  trees,  and  in  the  glorious  sunshine 
of  June  the  country  looked  most  beautiful. 

We  travelled  less  than  a ri  an  hour,  as  it  was  a mere 
flounder  either  among  rocks  or  in  deep  mud,  the  woman 
in  her  girt-up  dress  and  straw  sandals  trudging  bravely 
along,  till  she  suddenly  flung  away  the  rope,  cried  out, 
and  ran  backwards,  perfectly  scared  by  a big  grey  snake, 
with  red  spots,  much  embarrassed  by  a large  frog  which 
he  would  not  let  go,  though,  like  most  of  his  kind,  he 
was  alarmed  by  human  approach,  and  made  desperate 
efforts  to  swallow  his  victim  and  wriggle  into  the  bushes. 
After  crawling  for  three  hours,  we  dismounted  at  the 
mountain  farm  of  Kohiaku,  on  the  edge  of  a rice  valley, 
and  the  woman  counted  her  packages  to  see  that  they 
were  all  right,  and  without  waiting  for  a gratuity  turned 
homewards  with  her  horses.  I pitched  my  chair  in  the 
verandah  of  a house  near  a few  poor  dwellings  inhab- 
ited by  peasants  with  large  families,  the  house  being  in 
the  barn-yard  of  a rich  sake  maker.  I waited  an  hour, 
grew  famished,  got  some  weak  tea  and  boiled  barley, 
waited  another  hour  and  yet  another,  for  all  the  horses 
were  eating  leaves  on  the  mountains.  There  was  a 
little  stir.  Men  carried  sheaves  of  barley  home  on  their 
backs,  and  stacked  them  under  the  eaves.  Children, 
with  barely  the  rudiments  of  clothing,  stood  and 
watched  me  hour  after  hour,  and  adults  were  not 
ashamed  to  join  the  group,  for  they  had  never  seen  a 
foreign  woman,  a fork,  or  a spoon.  Do  you  remember 
a sentence  in  Dr.  Macgregor’s  last  sermon  ? “ What 

strange  sights  some  of  you  will  see  ! ” Could  there  be  a 
stranger  one  than  a decent-looldng  middle-aged  man, 
lying  on  his  chest  in  the  verandah,  raised  on  liis  elbows, 
and  intently  reading  a book,  clothed  only  in  a pair  of 
spectacles?  Besides  that  curious  piece  of  still  life, 
women  frequently  drew  water  from  a well  by  the  primi- 


INCREDULITY  AND  CONVICTION. 


153 


tive  contrivance  of  a beam  suspended  across  an  upright, 
with  the  bucket  at  one  end,  and  a stone  at  the  other. 

When  the  horses  arrived,  the  men  said  they  could 
not  put  on  the  bridle,  but  after  much  talk  it  was  man- 
aged by  two  of  them  violently  forcing  open  the  jaws  of 


SUMIIEB  AKD  WINTER  COSTUME. 


the  animal,  while  a third  seized  a propitious  moment 
for  slipping  the  bit  into  her  mouth.  At  the  next 
change  a bridle  was  a thing  unheard  of,  and  when  1 
suggested  that  the  creature  would  open  her  mouth  vol- 
untarily if  the  bit  were  pressed  close  to  her  teeth,  the 
standers-by  mockingly  said,  “No  horse  ever  opens  his 


154 


UNBEATEN  TRACKS  IN  JAPAN. 


month  except  to  eat  or. to  bite,”  and  were  only  con- 
vinced after  I had  put  on  the  bridle  myself.  The  new 
horses  had  a rocking  gait  like  camels,  and  I was  glad 
to  disj  cnse  with  them  at  Kisagoi,  a small  upland  ham 
let,  a very  poor  place,  with  poverty-stricken  houses, 
children  very  dirty  and  sorely  afflicted  by  skin  maladies, 
and  women  with  complexions  and  features  hardened  by 
severe  work  and  much  wood  smoke  into  positive  ugli 
ness,  and  with  figures  anything  but  statuesque. 

I w'rite  the  truth  as  I see  it,  and  if  my  accounts  con- 
flict with  those  of  tourists  who  write  of  the  Tokaido 
and  Nakasendo,  of  Lake  Biwa  and  Hakone,  it  does  not 
follow  that  either  is  inaccurate.  But  truly  this  is  a 
new  Japan  to  me,  of  wliich  no  books  have  given  me 
any  idea,  and  it  is  not  fairyland.  The  men  may  be 
said  to  wear  nothing.  Few  of  the  women  wear  any- 
thing but  a short  petticoat  wound  tightly  round  them, 
or  blue  cotton  troi;sers  very  tight  in  the  legs  and  baggj- 
at  the  top,  with  a blue  cotton  garment  open  to  the 
waist  tucked  into  the  band,  and  a blue  cotton  handker- 
chief knotted  round  the  head.  From  the  dress,  no 
notion  of  the  sex  of  the  wearer  could  be  gained,  nor 
from  the  faces,  if  it  were  not  for  the  shaven  eyebrows 
and  black  teeth.  The  short  petticoat  is  truly  barbar- 
ous-looking, and  when  a woman  has  a nude  baby  on 
her  back  or  in  her  arms,  and  stands  staring  vacantly  at 
the  foreigner,  I can  hardly  believe  m3’self  in  “civilised” 
Japan.  A good-sized  child,  strong  enough  to  held  up 
his  head,  sees  the  world  right  cheerfully  looking  over 
his  mother's  shoulders,  but  it  is  a constant  distress  to 
me  to  see  small  children  of  six  and  seven  3’ears  old 
lugging  on  their  backs  gristA  babies,  whose  shorn 
heads  are  frizzling  in  the  sun  and  “ wobbling  ” about  as 
though  the3^  must  drop  off,  their  e3’es,  as  nurses  say, 
“looking  over  tlieir  heads.”  A number  of  silkworms 


AN  UNDIGNIFIED  PROCESSION. 


155 


are  kept  in  this  region,  and  in  the  open  barns  groups  of 
men  in  nature’s  costume,  and  women  unclothed  to  their 
waists,  were  busy  stripping  mulberry  branches.  The 
houses  were  all  poor,  and  the  people  dirty  both  in  their 
clothing  and  persons.  Some  of  the  younger  women 
might  possibly  have  been  comely,  if  soap  and  water 
had  been  plentifully  applied  to  their  faces,  but  soap  is 
not  used,  and  such  washing  as  the  garments  get  is  only 
the  rubbing  them  a little  with  sand  in  a running 
stream.  I will  give  you  an  amusing  instance  of  the 
way  in  wliich  one  may  make  absurd  mistakes.  I heard 
many  stories  of  the  viciousness  and  aggressiveness  of 
pack-horses,  and  was  told  that  they  were  muzzled  to 
prevent  them  from  pasturing  upon  the  haunches  of  their 
companions  and  making  vicious  snatches  at  men.  Now 
I find  that  the  muzzle  is  only  to  prevent  them  from 
eating  as  they  travel.  Mares  are  used  exclusively  in 
this  region,  and  they  are  the  gentlest  of  their  race.  If 
you  have  the  weight  of  baggage  reckoned  at  one  horse- 
load, though  it  should  turn  out  that  the  weight  is  too 
great  for  a weakly  animal,  and  the  Transport  Agent 
distributes  it  among  two  or  even  three  horses,  you  only 
pay  for  one ; and  though  our  cortege  on  leaving  Kisagoi 
consisted  of  four  small,  shock-headed  mares  who  could 
hardly  see  through  their  bushy  forelocks,  with  three 
active  foals,  and  one  woman  and  tliree  girls  to  lead 
them,  I only  paid  for  two  horses  at  7 sen  a ri. 

My  mago.,  with  her  toil-hardened  thoroughly  good- 
natured  face  rendered  hideous  by  black  teeth,  wore 
straw  sandals,  blue  cotton  trousers  with  a vest  tucked 
into  them,  as  poor  and  worn  as  they  could  be,  and  a 
blue  cotton  towel  knotted  round  her  head.  As  the  sky 
looked  threatening  she  carried  a straw  rain-cloak,  a 
thatch  of  two  connected  capes,  one  fastening  at  the 
ne('-k,  the  otlier  at  the  waist,  and  a flat  hat  of  flags  2^ 


156 


UNBEATEN  TRACKS  IN  JAPAN. 


feet  in  diameter  hung  at  her  back  like  a shield.  Up 
and  down,  over  rocks  and  through  deep  mud,  she 
trudged  with  a steady  stride,  turning  her  kind,  ugly 
face  at  intervals  to  see  if  the  girls  were  following.  I 
like  the  firm  hardy  gait  which  this  unbecoming  cos- 
tume permits,  better  than  the  painful  shuffle  imposed 
upoji  the  more  civilised  women  by  their  tight  skirts 
and  high  clogs. 

From  Kohiaku  the  road  passed  through  an  irregular 
grassy  valley  between  densely-wooded  hills,  the  valley 
itself  timbered  with  park-like  clumps  of  pine  and  Span 
ish  chestnuts,  but  on  leaving  Kisagoi  the  scenery 
changed.  A steep  rocky  track  brouglit  us  to  the  Kinu- 
gawa,  a clear  rushing  river,  which  has  cut  its  way 
deeply  through  coloured  rock,  and  is  crossed  at  a con 
siderable  height  by  a bridge  with  an  alarmingly  steep 
curve,  from  which  there  is  a fine  view  of  high  moun- 
tains, and  among  them  Futarayama,  to  which  some  of 
the  most  ancient  ShintS  legends  are  attached.  We 
rode  for  some  time  within  hearing  of  the  Kinugawa, 
catching  magnificent  glimpses  of  it  frequently  — turbu- 
lent and  locked  in  by  walls  of  porphyry,  or  widening 
and  calming  and  spreading  its  aquamarine  waters  over 
great  slabs  of  pink  and  green  rock  — lighted  fitfully  bj 
the  sun,  or  spanned  by  rambows,  or  pausing  to  rest  in 
deep  shady  pools,  but  alwa3's  beautiful.  The  moun- 
tains through  which  it  forces  its  way  on  the  other  side 
are  precipitous  and  wooded  to  their  summits  with  coni- 
fer® while  the  less  abrupt  side,  along  which  the  track 
is  carried,  curves  into  green  knolls  in  its  lower  slopes, 
sprinkled  with  grand  Spanish  chestnuts  scarcely  yet  in 
blossom,  with  maples  which  have  not  j'et  lost  the 
scarlet  which  they  wear  in  spring  as  well  as  autumn, 
and  with  many  flowering  trees  and  shrubs  which  are 
new  to  me,  and  with  an  undergrowth  of  red  azaleas, 


PECULIARITIES  OF  BURIAL. 


157 


syringa,  blue  hydrangea  — the  very  blue  of  heaven  — 
yellow  raspberries,  ferns,  clematis,  white  and  yellow 
lilies,  blue  irises,  and  fifty  other  trees  and  shrubs  en- 
tangled and  festooned  by  the  wistaria,  whose  beautiful 
foliage  is  as  common  as  is  that  of  the  bramble  with  us. 
The  redundancy  of  the  vegetation  was  truly  tropical, 
and  the  brilliancy  and  variety  of  its  living  greens,  drip 
ping  with  recent  rain,  were  enhanced  by  the  slant  rays 
of  the  afternoon  sun. 

W e passed  several  crowded  burial-grounds ; indeed, 
along  that  valley,  the  dead  seemed  more  numerous  than 
the  living.  They  are  very  neatly  kept,  the  gravestones, 
which  even  the  poorest  manage  to  procure,  being  placed 
closely  together  in  rows  which  are  three  feet  apart. 
On  many  of  these  Buddha,  or  a Buddha,  sat  with 
folded  hands  in  endless  inanity.  Three  feet,  with  our 
ideas  of  sepulture,  is  a small  allowance  for  a grave,  but 
the  Buddhists  are  not  buried  in  a recnmbent  position, 
and  the  poorer  classes  are  interred  in  closed  pine  tubs 
bound  with  bamboo  hoops,  into  which  the  body  is  forci- 
bly compressed  in  a squatting  attitude,  with  the  head 
bowed.  The  funeral  rites,  however,  in  all  cases  are 
respectful,  and  carefully  carried  out. 

The  few  hamlets  we  passed  are  of  farm-houses  ordy, 
the  deep-eaved  roofs  covering  in  one  sweep,  dwelling- 
house,  barn,  and  stable.  In  every  barn  unclothed  peo- 
ple were  pursuing  various  industries.  We  met  strings 
of  pack-mares,  tied  head  and  tail,  loaded  with  rice  and 
sake.,  and  men  and  women  carrying  large  creels  full  of 
mulberry  leaves.  The  ravine  grew  more  and  more 
beautiful,  and  an  ascent  through  a dark  wood  of  ar- 
rowy cryptomeria  brought  us  to  this  village  exquisitely 
situated,  where  a number  of  miniature  ravhies,  indus- 
triously terraced  for  rice,  come  down  upon  the  great 
chasm  of  the  Kinugawa.  Eleven  hours  of  travelling 
have  brought  me  eighteen  miles  ! 


158 


UNBEATEN  TBACKS  IN  JAPAN. 


Ikari^  June  25.  — Fujihara  has  forty-six  farm-houses 
and  a yadoya.,  all  dark,  damp,  dirty,  and  draughty,  a 
combination  of  dwelling-house,  barn,  and  stable.  The 
yadoya  consisted  of  a daidokoro.,  or  open  kitchen,  and 
stable  below,  and  a small  loft  above,  capable  of  division, 
and  I found  on  returning  from  a walk,  six  Japanese  in 
extreme  deshabille,  occupying  the  part  through  which  I 
had  to  pass.  On  this  being  remedied,  I sat  down  to 
write,  but  was  soon  driven  upon  the  balcony,  under 
the  eaves,  by  myriads  of  fleas,  which  hopped  out  of  the 
mats  as  sandhoppers  do  out  of  the  sea  sand,  and  even 
in  the  balcony  hopped  over  my  letter.  There  were  two 
outer  walls  of  hairy  mud  with  living  creatures  crawling 
in  the  cracks  ; cobwebs  hung  from  the  uncovered  rafters. 
The  mats  were  brown  with  age  and  dirt,  the  rice  was 
musty,  and  only  partially  cleaned,  the  eggs  had  seen 
better  days,  and  the  tea  was  musty. 

I saw  everything  out  of  doors  with  Ito,  the  patient 
industry,  the  exquisitely  situated  village,  the  evening 
avocations,  the  quiet  dulness,  and  then  contemplated 
it  all  from  my  balcony  and  read  the  sentence  (from  a 
paper  in  the  Transactions  of  the  Asiatic  Society)  which 
had  led  me  to  devise  this  journey,  “ There  is  a most  ex- 
quisitely picturesque  but  difficult  route  up  the  course 
of  the  Kinugawa,  which  seems  almost  as  unknown  to 
Japanese  as  to  foreigners.”  There  was  a pure  lemon- 
coloured  sky  above,  and  slush  a foot  deep  below.  A 
road,  at  this  time  a quagmire,  intersected  by  a rapid 
stream,  crossed  in  many  places  by  planks,  runs  through 
the  village.  This  stream  is  at  once  “lavatory”  and 
“drinking  fountain.”  People  come  back  from  their 
work,  sit  on  the  planks,  take  off  their  muddy  clothes 
and  wring  them  out,  and  bathe  their  feet  in  the  current. 
On  either  side  are  the  dwellings,  in  front  of  which  are 
much-decayed  manure  heaps,  and  the  women  were  en- 


A ZEALOUS  STUDENT. 


159 


gaged  in  breaking  them  up  and  treading  them  into  a 
pulp  with  their  bare  feet.  All  wear  the  vest  and  trou- 
sers at  their  work,  but  only  the  short  petticoats  in  their 
bouses,  and  I saw  several  respectable  mothers  of  fami- 
lies cross  the  road  and  pay  visits  in  this  garment  only, 
without  any  sense  of  impropriety.  The  younger  chil- 
dren Avear  nothing  but  a string  and  an  amulet.  The 
persons,  clothing,  and  houses  are  alive  with  vermin,  and 
if  the  word  squalor  can  be  applied  to  independent  and 
industrious  people,  they  Avere  squalid.  Beetles,  spiders, 
and  wood-lice  held  a carnival  in  my  room  after  dark, 
and  the  presence  of  horses  in  the  same  house  brought  a 
number  of  horse-flies.  I sprinkled  my  stretcher  with 
insect  powder,  but  my  blanket  had  been  on  the  floor  for 
one  minute,  and  fleas  rendered  sleep  impossible.  The 
night  was  very  long.  The  andon  went  out,  leaving  a 
strong  smell  of  rancid  oil.  The  primitive  Japanese 
dog,  a cream-coloured  Avolfish-looking  animal,  the  size 
of  a collie,  very  noisy  and  aggressive,  but  as  cowardly 
as  bullies  usually  are,  was  in  great  force  in  Fujihara, 
and  the  barking,  growling,  and  quarrelling  of  these 
useless  curs  continued  at  interA^als  until  daylight ; and 
when  they  were  not  quarrelling  they  were  howling. 
Torrents  of  rain  fell,  obliging  me  to  move  my  bed  from 
place  to  place  to  get  out  of  the  drip.  At  5 Ito  came 
and  entreated  me  to  leave,  whimpering,  “ I’ve  had  no 
sleep,  there  are  thousands  and  thousands  of  fleas  ! ” He 
has  travelled  by  another  route  to  the  Tsugaru  Strait 
through  the  interior,  and  says  that  he  would  not  have 
believed  that  there  Avas  such  a place  in  Japan,  and  that 
people  in  Yokohama  will  not  believe  it  Avhen  he  tells 
them  of  it  and  of  the  costume  of  the  women.  He  is 
“ ashamed  for  a foreigner  to  see  such  a place,”  he  says. 
His  cleA'erness  in  travelling  and  his  singular  intelligence 
surprise  me  daily.  He  is  very  anxious  to  speak  good 


IGO 


UNBEATEN  TRACKS  IN  JAPAN. 


English,  as  distinguished  from  “common  ” English,  and 
to  get  new  words  Avith  their  correct  pronunciation  and 
spelling.  Each  day  he  puts  down  in  his  note-book  all 
the  words  that  I use  that  he  does  not  quite  understand, 
and  in  the  evening  brings  them  to  me  and  puts  down 
their  meaning  and  spelling  with  theii’  Japanese  equiva- 
lents. He  speaks  English  already  far  better  than  many 
professional  interpreters,  but  would  be  more  pleasing  if 
he  had  not  picked  up  some  American  vulgarisms  and 
free-and-easy  Avays.  It  is  so  important  to  me  to  have  a 
good  interpreter,  or  I should  not  have  engaged  so  yoimg 
and  inexperienced  a servant ; but  he  is  so  clever  that 
he  is  now  able  to  be  cook,  laundryman,  and  general 
attendant  as  well  as  courier  and  interpreter,  and  I think 
it  is  far  easier  for  me  than  if  he  Avere  an  older  man.  I 
am  trying  to  manage  him,  because  I saw  that  he  meant 
to  manage  me,  specially  in  the  matter  of  “ squeezes.” 
He  is  intensely  Japanese,  his  patriotism  has  all  the 
weakness  and  strength  of  personal  vanity,  and  he  thinks 
everything  inferior  that  is  foreign.  Our  manners,  eyes, 
and  modes  of  eating,  appear  simply  odious  to  him.  He 
delights  in  retailing  stories  of  the  bad  manners  of 
Englishmen,  describes  them  as  “roaring  out  ohio  to 
every  one  on  the  road,”  frightening  the  tea-house 
nymphs,  kicking  or  slapping  their  coolies,  stamping 
over  white  mats  in  muddy  boots,  acting  generally  like 
ill-bred  Satyi’s,  exciting  an  ill-concealed  hatred  in  sim- 
ple country  districts,  and  bringing  themseh'^es  and  their 
country  into  contempt  and  ridicule.^  He  is  A^ery  anx- 
ious about  my  good  behaAuour,  and  as  I am  equally 
anxious  to  be  courteous  everywhere  in  Japanese  fashion, 
and  not  to  violate  the  general  rules  of  Japanese  eti- 
quette, I take  his  siiggestions  as  to  what  I ought  to  do 

1 This  can  only  be  true  of  the  behaviour  of  the  lowest  excursionists 
from  the  Treaty  Ports. 


CBOSSING  THE  MOUNTAINS. 


161 


and  avoid  in  very  good  part,  and  my  bows  are  growing 
more  profound  every  day  ! The  people  are  so  kind  and 
courteous,  that  it  is  truly  brutal  in  foreigners  not  to  be 
kind  and  courteous  to  them.  You  will  observe  that  I 
am  entirely  dependent  on  Ito,  not  only  for  travelling 
arrangements,  but  for  making  inquiries,  gaining  infor- 
jnation,  and  even  for  companionsliip,  such  as  it  is ; and 
our  being  mutually  embarked  on  a hard  and  adventur- 
ous journey  will,  I hope,  make  us  mutually  kind  and 
considerate.  Nominally,  he  is  a Shintoist,  which  means 
nothing.  At  Nikk6  I read  to  hun  the  earlier  chapters  of 
St.  Luke,  and  when  I came  to  the  story  of  the  Prodigal 
Son  I was  interrupted  by  a somewhat  scornful  laugh 
and  the  remark,  “ Why,  all  this  is  our  Buddha  over 
again  ! ” 

To-day’s  journey,  though  very  rough,  has  been  rather 
pleasant.  The  rain  moderated  at  noon,  and  I left  Fuji- 
hara  on  foot,  wearing  my  American  “mountain  dress’ 
and  Wellington  boots,  — the  only  costume  in  which 
ladies  can  enjoy  pedestrian  or  pack-horse  travelling  in 
this  country,  — with  a light  straw  mat  — the  waterproof 
of  the  region  — hanging  over  my  shoulders,  and  so  we 
plodded  on  with  two  baggage  horses  through  the  ankle- 
deep  mud,  till  the  rain  cleared  off,  the  mountains  looked 
through  the  mist,  the  augmented  Kinugawa  thundered 
below,  and  enjoyment  became  possible,  even  in  my  half- 
fed  condition.  Eventually  I mounted  a pack-saddle, 
and  we  crossed  a spur  of  Takadayama  at  a height  oi 
2100  feet  on  a well-devised  series  of  zigzags,  eight  of 
which  in  one  place  could  be  seen  one  below  another. 
The  forest  there  is  not  so  dense  as  usual,  and  the  lower 
mountain  slopes  are  sprinkled  with  noble  Spanish  chest- 
nuts. The  descent  was  steep  and  slippery,  the  horse 
had  tender  feet,  and  after  stumbling  badly,  eventually 
came  down,  and  I went  over  his  head  to  the  great  dis- 


162 


UNBEATEN  TRACKS  IN  JAPAN. 


tress  0*^  the  kiudly  female  mago.  The  straw  shoes  tied 
with  wisps  round  the  pasterns  are  a great  nuisance. 
The  “ shoe-strings  ” are  always  coming  untied,  and  the 
shoes  only  wear  about  two  ri  on  soft  ground,  and  less 
than  one  on  hard.  They  keep  the  feet  so  soft  and 
spongy  that  the  horses  can’t  walk  without  them  at  all, 
and  as  soon  as  they  get  thin,  your  horse  begins  to  stum 
ble,  the  mago  gets  uneasy,  and  presently  you  stop  ; four 
shoes,  which  are  hanging  from  the  saddle,  aic  soaked  in 
water  and  are  tied  on  with  much  coaxing,  raising  the 
animal  fully  an  inch  above  the  ground.  Anythmg  more 
temporary  and  clumsy  could  not  be  devised.  The  bridle 
paths  are  strewn  with  them,  and  the  children  collect 
them  in  heaps  to  decay  for  manure.  They  cost  3 or  4 
sen  the  set,  and  in  every  village  men  spend  their  leisure 
time  in  making  them. 

Along  this  route  an  automatic  rice-cleaner  appears 
frequently,  and  is  mysteriously  fascinating.  You  see  a 
wooden  shed  completely  closed,  with  sometliing  of  the 
look  of  a mmiature  water-mdl  about  it,  and  always  pret- 
tily situated  on  the  verge  of  a mountain  stream.  A 
dull  thump  at  regular  intervals  proceeds  from  the  inte- 
rior ; no  one  is  ever  to  be  seen  near  it,  but  at  one  end 
you  are  attracted  by  a stream  led  into  the  hollowed 
end  of  a log,  or  into  a scoop  attached  to  a beam.  As 
the  scoop  fills  it  sinks,  and  raises  a lever  with  a heavy 
wooden  hammer  at  its  other  end,  and  when  full  it  tilts, 
the  water  runs  out,  and  the  iiammer  falls  into  a mortar 
dUed  with  rice,  and  is  lifted  again  ad  infinitum^  as  the 
scoop  is  refilled,  the  rate  of  the  thumps  depending  upon 
the  amount  of  water  in  the  stream. 

At  the  next  stage,  called  Takahara,  we  got  one  horse 
for  the  baggage,  crossed  the  river  and  the  ravine,  and 
by  a steep  climb  reached  a solitary  yadoya  with  the 
usual  open  front  and  irori.,  round  which  a number  of 


A I)Iii:A3f  OF  BEAUTY 


1G3 


people,  old  and  young,  were  sitting.  When  I arrived, 
a whole  bevy  of  nice-looking  girls  took  to  flight,  but 
were  soon  recalled  by  a word  from  Ito  to  theii’  elders. 
Lady  Parkes,  on  a side-saddle  and  in  a riding-habit,  ha? 
been  taken  for  a man  till  the  people  saw  her  hair,  and 
a young  friend  of  mine  who  is  very  pretty  and  has  a 
beautiful  complexion,  when  travelling  lately  with  her 
husband,  was  supposed  to  be  a man  who  had  shaven  ofl 
his  beard.  I wear  a hat,  which  is  a tiling  only  worn  by 
women  in  the  flelds  as  a protection  from  sun  and  rain, 
my  eyebrows  are  unshaven,  and  my  teeth  are  unblack- 
ened, so  these  girls  supposed  me  to  be  a foreign  man. 
Ito  in  explanation  said,  “ They  haven’t  seen  any,  but 
everybody  brings  them  tales  how  rude  foreigners  are  to 
girls,  and  they  are  awful  scared.”  There  was  nothing 
eatable  but  rice  and  eggs,  and  I ate  them  under  the  con- 
centrated stare  of  eighteen  pairs  of  dark  eyes.  The  hot 
springs,  to  which  many  people  afflicted  with  sores  resort, 
are  by  the  river,  at  the  bottom  of  a rude  flight  of  steps, 
in  an  open  shed,  but  I could  not  ascertain  their  temper- 
ature, as  a number  of  men  and  women  were  sitting  in 
the  water.  They  bathe  four  times  a day,  and  remain 
for  an  hour  at  a time. 

We  left  for  the  five  mile’s  walk  to  Ikari  in  a torrent 
of  rain  by  a newly  made  path  completely  shut  in  with 
the  cascading  Kinugawa,  and  carried  along  sometimes 
low,  sometimes  high,  on  props  projecting  over  it  from 
the  face  of  the  rock.  I do  not  expect  to  see  anything 
lovelier  in  Japan. 

The  river,  always  crystal-blue  or  crystal-green,  largely 
increased  in  volume  by  the  rains,  forces  itself  through 
gates  of  brightly-coloured  rock,  by  which  its  progress  is 
repeatedly  arrested,  and  rarely  lingers  for  rest  in  all  its 
sparkling,  rushing  course.  It  is  walled  in  by  high  moun 
tains  gloriously  wooded  and  cleft  by  dark  ravines  down 


164 


UNBEATEN  TRACKS  IN  JAPAN. 


whioh  torrents  were  tumbling  in  great  drifts  of  foam 
crashing  and  booming,  boom  and  crash  luulliplied  by 
many  an  eclio,  and  every  ravine  afforded  glimpses  far 
back  of  more  mountains,  clefts,  and  waterfalls,  and  such 
over-abundant  vegetation  that  I welcomed  the  sight  of 
a grey  cliff  or  bare  face  of  rock.  Along  the  path  there 
were  fascinating  details  composed  of  the  manifold  green- 
ery which  revels  in  damp  heat,  ferns,  mosses,  confervce., 
fungi,  trailers,  shading  tiny  rills  which  dropped  down 
into  grottoes  feathery  with  the  exquisite  Trichomanes 
radicans,  or  drooped  over  the  rustic  path  and  hung  into 
the  river,  and  overhead  the  finely  incised  and  almost 
feathery  foliage  of  several  varieties  of  maple  admitted 
the  light  only  as  a green  mist.  The  spring  tints  have 
not  yet  darkened  into  the  monotone  of  summer,  rose 
azaleas  still  light  the  hillsides,  and  masses  of  cryptomeria 
give  depth  and  shadow.  Still,  beautiful  as  it  all  is,  one 
sighs  for  something  which  shall  satisfy  one’s  craving  fc  r 
startling  individuahty  and  grace  of  form,  as  in  the  coco- 
palm  and  banana  of  the  tropics.  The  featheriness  of 
the  maple,  and  the  arrowy  straightness  and  pyu'amidal 
form  of  the  cryptomeria,  please  me  better  than  all  else ; 
but  why  criticise?  Ten  minutes  of  sunshine  would 
transform  the  whole  into  fairyland. 

There  were  no  houses  and  no  people.  Leaving  this 
beautiful  river  we  crossed  a spur  of  a hill,  where  all  the 
trees  were  matted  together  by  a very  fragrant  white 
honeysuckle,  and  came  down  upon  an  open  valley  where 
a quiet  stream  joins  the  loud-tongued  Kinugawa,  and 
another  mile  brought  us  to  this  beautifully-situated 
hamlet  of  twenty-five  houses,  surrounded  by  mountains, 
and  close  to  a mountain  stream  called  the  Okawa.  The 
names  of  Japanese  rivers  gives  one  ver}^  Httle  geograph- 
ical information  from  their  want  of  continuity.  A river 
changes  il  s name  several  times  in  a course  of  thirty  oi 


IKABI. 


165 


forty  miles,  according  to  the  districts  through  \^hich  it 
passes.  This  is  my  old  friend  the  Kinugawa,  up  which 
I have  been  travelling  for  two  days.  Want  of  space  is 
a great  aid  to  the  picturesque.  Ikari  is  crowded  to- 
gether on  a hill  slope,  and  its  short,  primitive-looking 
street,  with  its  warm  browns  and  greys,  is  quite  attrac- 
tive in  “ the  clear  shining  after  rain.”  My  halting- 
place  is  at  the  express  office  at  the  top  of  the  hill,  a 
place  like  a big  barn,  with  horses  at  one  end  and  a liv- 
ing-room at  the  other,  and  in  the  centre  much  produce 
awaiting  transport,  and  a group  of  peoj)le  stripping 
mulberry  branches.  The  nearest  daimiyo  used  to  halt 
here  on  his  way  to  TokiyS,  so  there  are  two  rooms  for 
travellers,  called  daimiyds'  rooms,  fifteen  feet  high,  hand- 
somely ceiled  in  dark  wood,  the  sMji  of  such  fine  work 
as  to  merit  the  name  of  fret-work,  the  fusuma  artisti- 
cally decorated,  the  mats  clean  and  fine,  and  in  the  alcove 
a sword-rack  of  old  gold  lacquer.  Mine  is  the  inner 
room,  and  Ito  and  four  travellers  occupy  the  outer  one. 
Though  very  dark  it  is  luxury  after  last  night.  The 
rest  of  the  house  is  given  up  to  the  rearing  of  silk- 
worms. The  house-masters  here  and  at  Fujihara  are 
not  used  to  passports,  and  Ito,  who  is  posing  as  a town- 
bred  youth,  has  explained  and  copied  mine,  all  the  vil- 
lage men  assembling  to  hear  it  read  aloud.  He  does 
not  know  the  word  used  for  “ scientific  investigation,” 
but  in  the  idea  of  increasing  his  own  importance  by 
exaggerating  mine,  I hear  him  telling  the  people  that 
I am  gakusha^  i.e.  learned ! There  is  no  police  station 
here,  but  every  mouth  policemen  pay  domiciliary  visits 
to  these  outlying  gadogas  and  examine  the  register  of 
visitors. 

This  is  a much  neater  place  than  the  last,  but  the 
people  look  stupid  and  apathetic,  and  I wonder  what 
they  think  of  the  men  who  have  abolished  the  daimigd 


166 


UNBEATEN  TBACKR  IN  JAPAN. 


and  the  fe-udal  regime.,  have  raised  the  eta  to  citizensliip, 
and  are  hurrying  the  empire  forward  on  the  tracks  ol 
western  civilisation ! 

Since  shingle  has  given  place  to  thatch  there  is  much 
to  admire  in  the  villages,  with  their  steep  roofs,  deep 
eaves  and  balconies,  the  warm  russet  of  roofs  and  walls, 
the  quaint  confusion  of  the  farm-houses,  the  hedges  of 
camellia  and  pomegranate,  the  bamboo  clumps  and  per- 
simmon orchards,  and  (in  spite  of  dirt  and  bad  smells) 
the  generally  satisfied  look  of  the  peasant  proprietors. 

No  food  can  be  got  here  except  rice  and  eggs,  and  I 
am  haunted  b}^  memories  of  the  fowls  and  fish  of  Nik- 
ko,  to  say  nothing  of  the  “ flesh  pots  ” of  the  Legation, 
and 

“ A sorrow’s  crown  of  sorrow 

Is  remembering  happier  things  ! ” 

The  mercury  falls  to  70°  at  night,  and  I generally 
awake  from  cold  at  3 a.m.,  for  my  blankets  are  ouly 
summer  ones,  and  I dare  not  supplement  them  with  a 
quilt,  either  for  sleeping  on  or  under,  because  of  the 
fleas  which  it  contains.  I usually  retire  about  7.30,  for 
there  is  almost  no  twilight,  and  very  Little  inducement 
for  sitting  up  by  the  dimness  of  candle  or  andon,  and  I 
have  found  these  days  of  riding  on  slow,  rolling,  stum- 
bling horses  very  severe,  and  if  1 were  an^-thing  of  a 
Vfalker,  should  certainly  prefer  pedestrianism. 

I.  L.  B. 


THE  '^QUIVER”  OF  POVERTY. 


167 


DIRT  AND  DISEASE. 

k.  Fantastic  Jumble  — The  “Quiver”  of  Poverty  — The  Watershed 
— From  Bad  to  Worse  — Tlie  Rice  Planter’s  Holiday  — A Diseased 
Crowd  — Amateur  Doctoring  — The  Hot  Bath  — Want  of  Cleanli- 
ness— Insanitary  Houses  — Rapid  Eating  — Premature  Old  Age. 

KuRUMATOGh,  June  30. 

After  the  hard  travelling  of  six  days  the  rest  of 
Sunday  in  a quiet  place  at  a high  elevation  is  truly 
delightful!  Mountains  and  passes,  valleys  and  rice- 
swamps,  forests  and  rice-swamps,  villages  and  rice- 
swamps  ; poverty,  industry,  dirt,  ruinous  temples,  pros- 
trate Buddhas,  strings  of  straw-shod  pack-horses ; long, 
grey,  featureless  streets,  and  quiet,  staring  crowds,  are 
all  jumbled  up  fantastically  in  my  memory.  Fine 
weather  accompanied  me  through  beautiful  scenery 
from  Ikari  to  Yokokawa,  where  I ate  my  lunch  in  the 
street  to  avoid  the  innumerable  fleas  of  the  tea-house, 
with  a circle  round  me  of  nearly  all  the  inhabitants. 
At  first  the  children,  both  old  and  young,  were  so  fright- 
ened that  they  ran  away,  but  by  degrees  they  timidly 
came  back,  clinging  to  the  skirts  of  their  parents  (skirts 
in  this  case  being  a metaphorical  expression),  running 
away  again  as  often  as  I looked  at  them.  The  crowd 
was  filthy  and  squalid  beyond  description.  Why  should 
the  “ quiver  ” of  poverty  be  so  very  full  ? one  asks  as 
one  looks  at  the  swarms  of  gentle,  naked,  old-fashioned 
children,  born  to  a heritage  of  hard  toil,  to  be,  like 
their  parents,  devoured  by  vermin,  and  pressed  hard  for 


168 


UNBEATEN  TRACKS  IN  JAPAN. 


taxes.  A horse  kicked  off  my  saddle  before  it  was 
girthed,  the  crowd  scattered  right  and  left,  and  work, 
which  had  been  suspended  for  two  hours  to  stare  at  the 
foreigner,  began  again. 

A long  ascent  took  us  to  the  top  of  a pass  2500  feet 
in  heiglit,  a projecting  spur  not  80  feet  wide,  with  a 
grand  view  of  mountains  and  ravines,  and  a maze  of 
involved  streams,  which  unite  in  a vigorous  torrent, 
whose  course  we  followed  for  some  hours,  till  it  ex- 
panded into  a qniet  river,  lonnging  lazily  through  a rice- 
swamp  of  considerable  extent.  The  majj  is  blank  in 
this  region,  but  I judged,  as  I afterwards  found  rightly, 
that  at  that  pass  we  had  crossed  the  watershed,  and 
that  the  streams  thenceforward  no  longer  fall  into  the 
Pacific,  bnt  into  the  Sea  of  Japan.  At  Itosawa  the 
horses  produced  stumbled  so  intolerably  that  I walked 
the  last  stage,  and  reached  Kayasliima,  a miserable 
village  of  fifty-seven  houses,  so  exhausted,  that  f could 
not  go  farther,  and  was  obliged  to  put  up  wdth  worse 
accommodation  even  than  at  Fujihara,  with  less  strength 
for  its  hardships. 

The  yadoya  was  simply  awful.  The  daidoJcoro  had  a 
large  wood  fire  burning  in  a trench,  filling  the  whole 
place  with  stinging  smoke,  from  which  my  room,  wliich 
was  merely  screened  off  by  some  dilapidated  lihoji.,  was 
not  exempt.  The  rafters  were  black  and  shiny  with 
soot  and  moisture.  The  house-master,  who  knelt  per- 
sistently on  the  floor  of  my  room  till  he  was  dislodged 
by  Ito,  apologised  for  the  dirt  of  his  house,  as  well  he 
might.  Stifling,  dark,  and  smoky,  as  my  room  was,  I 
had  to  close  the  j)aper  Avindows,  owing  to  the  crowd 
which  assembled  in  the  street.  There  was  neither  rice 
nor  soy,  and  Ito,  who  valnes  his  own  comfort,  began  to 
speak  to  the  house-master  and  servants  loudly  and 
roughly,  and  to  throw  my  things  about,  a stjde  of  act 


A RUEFUL  CROWD. 


169 


ing  whicli  I promptly  terminated,  for  nothing  could  be 
more  hurtful  to  a foreigner,  or  more  unkind  to  the  peo- 
ple, than  for  a servant  to  be  rude  and  bullying ; and 
the  man  was  most  polite,  and  never  approached  me  but 
on  bended  knees.  When  I gave  him  my  passport,  as 
the  custom  is,  he  touched  his  forehead  with  it,  and  then 
touched  the  earth  with  his  forehead. 

I found  nothing  that  I could  eat  except  black  beans 
and  boiled  cucumbers.  The  room  was  dark,  dirty,  vile, 
noisy,  and  poisoned  by  sewage  odours,  as  rooms  unfor- 
tunately ai^  very  apt  to  be.  At  the  end  of  the  rice- 
planting  there  is  a holiday  for  two  days,  when  many 
offerings  are  made  to  Inari,  the  god  of  rice-farmers  ; and 
the  holiday-makers  kept  up  their  revel  all  night,  and 
drums,  stationary  and  peripatetic,  were  constantl}. 
beaten  in  such  a way  as  to  prevent  sleep. 

A little  boy,  the  house-master’s  son,  was  suffering  from 
a very  bad  cough,  and  a few  drops  of  chlorodyne,  which 
I gave  him,  allayed  it  so  completely,  that  the  cure  was 
noised  abroad  in  the  earliest  hours  of  the  next  morning, 
and  by  five  o’clock  nearly  the  whole  population  was 
assembled  outside  my  room,  with  much  whispering  and 
shuffling  of  shoeless  feet,  and  applications  of  eyes  to 
the  many  holes  in  the  paper  windows.  When  I drew 
aside  the  shoji,  I was  disconcerted  by  the  painful  sight 
wliich  presented  itself,  for  the  people  were  pressing  one 
upon  another,  fathers  and  mothers  holding  naked  chil- 
dren covered  with  skin-disease  or  with  scald-head,  or 
ringworm,  daughters  leading  mothers  nearly  blind,  men 
exhibiting  painful  sores,  children  blinking  with  eyes 
infested  by  flies,  and  nearly  closed  with  ophthalmia,  and 
all,  sick  and  well,  in  truly  “vile  raiment,”  lamentably 
dirty  and  swarming  with  vermin,  the  sick  asking  for 
medicine,  and  the  well  either  bringing  the  sick  or  grati- 
fying an  apathetic  cariosity.  Sadly  I told  them  that  I 


170 


UNBEATEN  TRACKS  IN  JAPAN. 


did  not  understand  their  manifold  “diseases  and  tor 
ments,”  and  that  if  I did,  I had  no  stock  of  medicines, 
and  that  in  my  own  country  the  constant  washing  of 
clothes,  and  the  constant  application  of  water  to  the 
skin,  accompanied  by  friction  with  clean  cloths,  would 
be  much  relied  upon  by  doctors  for  the  cure  and  pre- 
vention of  similar  cutaneous  diseases.  To  pacify  them, 
1 made  some  ointment  of  animal  fat  and  flowers  of 
sulphur,  extracted  with  difficulty  from  some  man’s  hoard, 
and  told  them  how  to  apply  it  to  some  of  the  worst 
cases.  The  horse,  being  unused  to  a girth,  became 
fidgety  as  it  was'  being  saddled,  creating  a stampede 
among  the  crowd,  and  the  mago  would  not  touch  it 
again.  They  are  as  much  afraid  of  their  gentle  mares 
as  if  they  were  panthers.  All  the  children  followed  me 
for  a considerable  distance,  and  a good  many  of  the 
adults  made  an  excuse  for  going  in  the  same  direction. 

I was  entirely  unprepared  for  tlie  apparent  poverty 
and  real  dirt  and  discomfort  that  I have  seen  since 
leaving  Nikko.  With  us  poverty  of  the  squalid  kind  is 
usually  associated  with  laziness  and  drunkenness,  but 
here  the  first  is  unknown,  and  the  last  is  rare  among  the 
peasant  proprietors.  Their  industry  is  ceaseless,  they 
have  no  Sabbaths,  and  only  take  a holiday  when  they 
have  nothing  to  do.  Their  spade  husbandry  turns  the 
country  into  one  beautifully  kept  garden,  in  which  one 
might  look  vainly  for  a weed.  They  are  economical 
and  thrifty,  and  turn  everything  to  useful  account. 
They  manure  the  ground  heavily,  understand  the  rota- 
tion of  crops,  and  have  little  if  anything  to  learn  in  the 
way  of  improved  agricultural  processes.  I am  too  new 
a comer  to  venture  an  opinion  on  the  subject.  The 
appearance  of  poverty  may  be  produced  by  apathy 
regarding  comforts  to  which  they  have  not  been  accus- 
tomed. The  dirt  is  preventible,  and  the  causes  of  the 


IN  8 AN  IT AR  Y PR  A C TICES. 


171 


prevalence  of  cutaneous  diseases  among  cliildren  are  not 
far  to  seek.  There  can  be  no  doubt  of  the  want  of 
cleanliness  in  nearly  the  whole  district  that  I have 
passed  through,  and  this  surprises  me. 

The  people  tell  me  that  they  take  a bath  once  a week. 
This  sounds  well,  but  when  looked  into,  its  merit  dimin- 
ishes. This  bath  in  private  houses  consists  of  a tub 
four  feet  high,  and  sufficiently  large  to  allow  of  an 
average-sized  human  being  crouching  in  it  in  the  ordi- 
nary squatting  position.  It  is  heated  by  charcoal  in 
such  a way  that  the  fumes  have  occasionally  proved 
fatal.  The  temperature  ranges  from  110°  to  125°,  and 
fatal  syncope  among  old  people  is  known  to  occur  during 
immersion.  The  water  in  private  bath  tubs  is  used 
without  any  change  by  all  the  inmates  of  a house,  and 
in  the  public  baths  by  a large  number  of  customers. 
The  bathing  is  not  for  purification,  but  for  the  enjoy- 
ment of  a sensuous  luxury.  Soap  is  not  used,  and 
friction  is  apologised  for  by  a general  dabbing  with  a 
soft  and  dirty  towel.  The  intermediate  washing  consists 
in  putting  the  feet  into  hot  water  when  they  are  covered 
with  mud,  washing  the  hands  and  face,  or  giving  them 
a slap  Avith  a damp  towel. 

These  people  wear  no  linen,  and  their  clothes,  which 
are  seldom  washed,  are  constantly  worn,  night  and  day, 
as  long  as  they  will  hold  together.  They  seal  up  their 
houses  as  hermetically  as  they  can  at  night,  and  herd 
together  in  numbers  in  one  sleeping-room,  with  its 
atmosphere  vitiated  to  begin  with  by  charcoal  and  to- 
bacco fumes,  huddled  up  in  their  dirty  garments  in 
wadded  quilts,  which  are  kept  during  the  day  in  close 
cupboards,  and  are  seldom  washed  from  one  year’s  end 
to  another.  The  tatami,  beneath  a tolerably  fair  ex- 
terior, swarm  with  insect  life,  and  are  receptacles  of 
dust,  organic  matters,  etc.  The  hair,  which  is  loaded 


172 


UNBEATEN  TRACKS  IN  JAPAN. 


with  oil  and  bandoline,  is  dressed  once  a week,  or  less 
often  in  these  districts,  and  it  is  unnecessary  to  entei 
into  any  details  regarding  the  distressing  results,  and 
much  besides  may  be  left  to  the  imagination.  The 
persons  of  the  people,  especially  of  the  children,  are 
infested  with  vermin,  and  one  fruitful  source  of  skin 
sores  is  the  irritation  arising  from  this  cause.  The 
floors  of  houses,  being  concealed  by  mats,  are  laid  down 
carelessly  with  gaps  between  the  boards,  and  as  the 
damp  earth  is  only  eighteen  inches  or  two  feet  below, 
emanations  of  all  kinds  enter  the  mats  and  pass  into  the 
rooms.  Where  the  drinking  water  is  taken  from  wells 
situated  in  the  midst  of  crowded  houses,  contamination 
may  be  regarded  as  certain,  either  from  the  direct  effect 
of  insanitary  arrangements  within  the  houses,  or  from 
percolations  into  the  soil  from  gutters- outside,  choked 
with  decomposing  organic  matter.  In  the  farming 
villages,  as  a general  ride,  the  sewage  is  kept  in  large 
tubs  sunk  into  the  earth  at  the  house  door,  from  whence 
it  is  removed  in  open  buckets  to  the  fields. 

The  houses  in  this  region  (and  I believe  evervwhere) 
are  hermetically  sealed  at  night,  both  in  summer  and 
winter,  the  amado,  which  are  made  without  ventilators 
literally  boxing  them  in,  so  that  unless  they  are  falling 
to  pieces,  which  is  rarely  the  case,  none  of  the  air  "vuti- 
ated  by  the  breathing  of  many  persons,  by  the  emana- 
tions from  their  bodies  and  clothing,  by  the  miasmata 
produced  by  defective  domestic  arrangements,  and  by 
the  fumes  fi-om  charcoal  Tiibachi,  can  ever  be  renewed. 
Exercise  is  seldom  taken  from  choice,  and  uidess  the 
women  wmrk  in  the  fields,  they  hang  over  charcoal 
fumes  the  whole  day  for  five  months  of  the  year,  en- 
gaged in  interminable  processes  of  cooking,  or  in  the 
attempt  to  get  warm.  Much  of  the  food  of  the  peas- 
antry is  raw  or  half-raw  salt  fish,  and  vegetables  rendered 


AN  APOLOGY. 


m 


indigestible  by  being  coarsely  pickled,  all  bolted  -wnth 
the  most  marvellous  rapidity,  as  if  the  one  object  of  life 
were  to  rush  through  a meal  in  the  shortest  possible 
time.  The  married  women  look  as  if  tliey  had  never 
known  youth,  and  their  skin  is  apt  to  be  like  tanned 
leather.  At  Kayashima  I asked  the  house-master’s 
wife,  who  looked  about  fifty,  how  old  she  was  (a  polite 
question  in  Japan),  and  she  replied  twenty-two  — one 
of  many  similar  surprises.  Her  boy  was  five  years  old, 
and  was  still  unweaned. 

This  digression  disposes  of  one  aspect  of  the  popula- 

tion.i 

1 Many  unpleasant  details  have  necessarily  been  omitted.  If  the 
reader  requires  any  apology  for  those  which  are  given  here  and  else- 
where, it  must  he  found  in  my  desire  to  give  such  a faithful  picture  of 
peasant  life,  as  I saw  it  in  Northern  Japan,  as  may  be  a contribution  to 
the  general  sum  of  knowledge  of  the  country,  and,  at  the  same  time, 
serve  to  illustrate  some  of  the  difficulties  which  the  Governmert  has  to 
encounter  in  its  endeavour  to  raise  masses  of  people  as  deficient  as  1 hose 
are  in  some  of  the  first  requirements  of  civilisation.  I L.  B 


174 


UNBEATEN  TRACKS  IN  JAPAN. 


HIGH  FARMING. 

A Japanese  Ferry  — The  Wistaria  Chinensis  — (/rops — A Chi- 
nese Drug  — Etiquette  in  Cultivation  — A Corrugated  Hoad  — 
The  Pass  of  Sanno  — Various  Vegetation  — An  Ungainly  Under- 
growth— Preponderance  of  Men  — The  Shrines  of  Nature-wor- 
ship— Apparent  Decay  of  Religion. 

We  changed  horses  at  Tajima,  formerly  a daimiyd's 
residence,  and,  for  a Japanese  town,  rather  picturesque. 
It  makes  and  exports  clogs,  coarse  pottery,  coarse 
lacquer,  and  coarse  baskets. 

After  travelling  through  rice-fields  varymg  from 
thirty  yards  square  to  a quarter  of  an  acre,  with  the 
tops  of  the  dykes  utilised  by  planting  dwarf  beans 
along  them,  we  came  to  a large  river,  the  Arakai, 
along  whose  affluents  we  had  been  tramping  for  two 
daj'S,  and,  after  passing  through  several  filthy  ^'il- 
lages,  tlironged  with  filthy  and  industrious  inhabit- 
ants, crossed  it  in  a scow.  High  forks  planted  se- 
curely in  the  bank  on  either  side  sustained  a rope 
formed  of  several  strands  of  the  wistaria  knotted  to- 
gether. One  man  hauled  on  this  hand  over  hand, 
another  poled  at  the  stern,  and  the  rapid  cimrent  did 
the  rest.  In  this  fashion  we  have  crossed  many  rivers 
subsequently.  Tariffs  of  charges  are  posted  at  all  fer- 
ries, as  well  as  at  all  bridges  where  charges  are  made, 
and  a man  sits  in  an  office  to  receive  the  money. 

The  wistaria,  which  is  largely  used  where  a strength 
and  durability  exceeding  that  of  ordinary  cables  is 


A VALUABLE  DRUG. 


175 


required,  aeems  universal.  As  a dwarf  it  covers  the 
hills  and  road-sides,  and  as  an  aggressive  liana  it  climbs 
the  tallest  trees  and  occasionally  kills  them,  cramping 
and  compressing  them  mercilessly,  and  finally  riots  in 
its  magnificent  luxuriance  over  their  dead  branches. 
Several  times  I have  thought  that  I had  come  upon  a 
new  species  of  tree  of  great  beauty,  and  have  found  it 
to  be  an  elm  or  cryptomeria  killed  and  metamorphosed 
by  this  rampageous  creeper.  Some  of  its  twisted  stems 
are  as  thick  as  a man’s  body.  In  pleasure-grounds  it 
is  trellised  and  trained  so  as  to  form  bowers  of  large 
size,  a single  tree  often  allowing  100  people  to  rest 
comfortably  imder  its  shadow. 

Villages  with  their  ceaseless  industries  succeeded 
each  other  rapidly,  and  the  crops  were  more  varied 
than  ever ; wheat,  barley,  millet,  rice,  hemp,  beans 
(which  in  their  many  varieties  rank  next  to  rice  as  the 
staple  food),  pease,  water  melons,  cucumbers  trained  on 
sticks  like  peas,  sweet  potato,  egg  plants,  tiger  lilies,  a 
purple  colea  the  leaves  of  which  are  eaten  like  spinach, 
lettuces,  and  indigo.  Patches  of  a small  yellow  chrys- 
anthemum occurred  frequently.  The  petals  are  par- 
tially boiled,  and  are  eaten  with  vinegar  as  a dainty. 
The  most  valuable  crop  of  this  region  is  ninjin,  the 
Chinese  ginseng,  the  botanical  Panax  repens.  In  the 
Chinese  pharmacopeia  it  occupies  a leading  place  (even 
apart  from  superstitions  which  are  connected  with  it), 
and  is  used  for  fevers  as  we  use  quinine.  It  has  at 
times  been  sold  in  the  east  for  its  weight  in  gold,  and, 
though  the  price  has  fallen  to  40s.  per  lb.,  the  profit  on 
its  cultivation  is  considerable.  The  ginseng  exported 
annually  from  Japan  is  worth,  on  arrival  in  China, 
.£200,000,  and  in  another  two  years  more  than  double 
the  present  crop  will  be  placed  in  the  market.  The 
exquisite  neatness  of  Japanese  cultivation  culminates  in 
ninrin. 


176 


UNBEATEN  TRACKS  IN  JAPAN. 


It  is  sown  on  beds  27  feet  long,  2i  broad,  1 high, 
and  2 apart.  In  each  bed  there  are  438  seed-holes,  and 
in  each  hole  three  seeds.  I mention  this  as  an  instance 
of  the  minute  etiquette  which  regulates  all  processes  in 
this  curiously  formal  country.  As  a protection  from 
the  sun,  neatly-made  straw  roofs  cover  the  beds  both 
in  winter  and  summer.  Only  the  strong  plants  are 
allowed  to  survdve  the  first  year.  In  the  fifth  year  the 
roots  are  taken  up,  scalded,  and  roasted  in  trays  at  a 
gentle  heat  from  four-  to  eight  days,  according  to  their 
size.  The  stalks  and  leaves  are  boiled  down  to  make  a 
black,  coarse  jelly,  much  like  liquorice,  but  very  bitter, 
which  is  used  in  cases  of  debility.  Sesamum  Orientale, 
from  which  an  oil  is  made,  which  is  used  both  for  the 
hair  and  for  frying  fish,  began  to  be  cultivated.  The 
use  of  this  in  frying  is  answerable  for  one  of  the  most 
horrific  smells  in  Japan.  It  is  almost  worse  than 
daikon. 

The  country  was  really  very  beautiful.  The  views 
were  wider  and  finer  than  on  the  previous  days,  taking 
in  great  sweeps  of  peaked  mountains,  wooded  to  their 
summits,  and  from  the  top  of  the  Pass  of  Sanno  the 
clustered  peaks  were  glorified  into  unearthly  beauty  in 
a golden  mist  of  evening  sunshine.  I slept  at  a house 
combining  silk  farm,  post  office,  express  office,  and 
daimiyo’s  rooms,  at  the  hamlet  of  Ouchi,  prettily  situ- 
ated in  a valley  with  mountainous  surroundings,  and 
leaving  early  on  the  following  morning,  had  a very 
grand  ride,  passing  in  a crateriform  caffity  the  pretty 
little  lake  of  Oyake,  and  then  ascending  the  magnifi- 
cent pass  of  Ichikawa.  We  turned  off  what,  by  ironi- 
cal courtesy,  is  called  the  main  road,  upon  a villanous 
track,  consisting  of  a series  of  lateral  corrugations, 
about  a foot  broad,  with  depressions  between  them 
more  than  a foot  deep,  formed  by  the  invariable  tread 


AN  UNGAINLY  GALLOP. 


177 


ing  of  the  pack-horses  in  each  other’s  footsteps.  Each 
hole  was  a quagmire  of  tenacious  mud,  the  ascent  of 
■2400  feet  was  very  steep,  and  the  mago  adjured  the 
animals  the  whole  time  with  Hai  ! Hai ! Hai  ! which  is 
supposed  to  suggest  to  them  that  extreme  caution  is 
requisite.  Their  shoes  were  always  coming  untied,  and 
they  wore  out  two  sets  in  four  miles.  The  top  of  the 
pass,  like  that  of  a great  many  others,  is  a narrow 
ridge,  on  the  farther  side  of  which  the  track  dips 
abruptly  into  a tremendous  ravine,  along  whose  side 
we  descended  for  a mile  or  so  in  company  vith  a river 
whose  reverberating  thunder  drowned  all  attempts  at 
speech.  A glorious  view  it  was,  looking  down  between 
the  wooded  precipices  to  a rolling  wooded  plain,  lying 
in  depths  of  indigo  shadow,  bounded  by  ranges  of 
wooded  mountains,  and  overtopped  by  heights  heavily 
splotched  with  snow ! The  vegetation  was  significant 
of  a milder  climate.  The  magnolia  and  bamboo  re- 
appeared, and  tropical  ferns  mingled  with  the  beauti- 
ful blue  hydrangea,  the  yellow  Japan  lily,  and  the 
great  blue  campanula.  There  was  an  ocean  of  trees 
entangled  with  a beautiful  trailer  (^Actinidia  polygama) 
with  a profusion  of  white  leaves,  which,  at  a distance, 
look  like  great  clusters  of  white  blossoms.  But  the 
rank  undergrowth  of  the  forests  of  this  region  is  not 
attractive.  Many  of  its  component  parts  deserve  the 
name  of  weeds,  being  gawky,  ragged  umbels,  coarse 
docks,  rank  nettles,  and  many  other  things  which  I 
don’t  know,  and  never  wish  to  see  again.  Near  the 
end  of  this  descent  my  mare  took  the  bit  between  her 
teeth  and  carried  me  at  an  ungainly  gallop  into  the 
beautifully  situated,  precipitous  village  of  Ichikawa, 
which  is  absolutely  saturated  with  moisture  by  the 
spray  of  a fine  waterfall  which  tumbles  through  the 
middle  of  it,  and  its  trees  and  roadside  are  green  with 


178 


UNBEATEN  TRACKS  IN  JAPAN. 


the  Protococcus  viridis.  The  Transport  Agent  there 
was  a woman.  Women  keep  yadoyas  and  shops,  and 
cultivate  farms  as  freely  as  men.  Boards  giving  the 
number  of  inhabitants,  male  and  female,  and  the  num- 
ber of  horses  and  bullocks,  are  put  up  in  each  village, 
and  I noticed  in  Ichikawa,  as  everywhere  hitherto,  that 
men  preponderate.^ 

Everywhere  there  are  conical  hiUs  densely  wooded 
with  cryptomeria,  and  scarcely  one  is  without  a steep 
flight  of  handsome  stone  stairs  with  a stone  or  wooden 
torii  at  its  base.  From  below,  the  top  is  involved  in 
mystery,  but,  on  ascending  into  what  is  truly  a “ solemn 
shade,”  one  usually  finds  a small,  wooden  shrine,  and 
some  tokens  of  worship,  such  as  a few  flowers,  a little 
rice,  or  a sprig  of  evergreen.  These  “ groves  ” and 
“ high  places  ” are  the  shrines  of  the  old  nature  and 
hero  worship  which  has  its  symbols  “ on  every  high  hill, 
and  under  every  green  tree.”  In  some  places  there  is 
merely  a red  torii  with  some  wisps  of  straw  dangling 
from  it  at  the  entrance  of  a grove ; in  others,  a single 
venerable  tree  or  group  of  trees  is  surrounded  with  a 
straw  rope  with  straw  tassels  dangling  from  it  — the 
sign  of  sacredness ; in  others,  again,  a paved  path  under 
a row  of  decaying  grey  torii  leads  to  nothing.  The 
grand  flights  of  stone  stairs  up  to  the  shrines  in  the 
groves  are  the  great  religious  feature  of  this  part  of 
the  country,  and  seem  to  point  to  a much  more  pious 
age  than  the  present.  The  Buddhist  temples  have 
lately  been  few,  and  though  they  are  much  more  pre- 
tentious than  the  ShintG  shrines,  and  usually  have  stone 
lanterns  and  monuments  of  various  kinds  in  their 
grounds,  they  are  shabby  and  decaying,  the  paint  is 
wearing  off  the  wood,  and  they  have  an  unmistakable 

' The  excess  of  males  over  females  in  the  capital  is  36,000,  and  in  the 
whole  Empire  nearly  half  a million. 


EqUINE  CEMETERIES. 


179 


look  of  “ disestablishment,”  not  supplemented  by  a vig- 
orous “voluntaryism.”  One  of  the  most  marked  fea- 
tures of  this  part  of  the  country  is  the  decayed  look  of 
the  religious  edifices  and  symbols.  Buddhas  erect  but 
without  noses,  moss  and  lichen  covered,  here  and  there, 
with  strips  of  pink  cloth  tied  round  their  necks,  and 
Buddhas  prostrate  among  grass  and  weeds,  are  every 
where.  One  passes  hundreds  of  them  in  a single  day’s 
journey. 

In  contrast  to  the  neglect  of  religious  symbols  is  the 
fact  that  the  burial-grounds,  even  the  lonely  ones  on 
tne  wild  hill-sides,  are  always  well  kept,  the  head-stones 
are  always  erect,  and  on  most  graves  there  are  offerings 
of  fresh  flowers.  Near  several  of  the  villages  there  are 
cemeteries  less  carefully  kept,  with  monuments  of 
quite  a different  shape,  where  the  pack-horses  of  the 
region  are  interred.  This  evening  is  so  very  fine  that 
I will  break  off  mj'  letter  here.  It  is  more  than  long 
enough  already.  1.  L.  B. 


180 


UNBEATEN  TRACKS  IN  JAPAN. 


A MALARIOUS  DISTRICT. 

The  Plain  of  Wakamatsu  — A Noble  Tree  — Light  Costume  — Ths 
Takata  Crowd  — Japanese  Paper  — A Congress  of  Schoolmasters  — 
Timidity  of  a Crowd  — Bad  Eoads  — Vicious  Horses  — Mountaiu 
Scenery  — A Picturesque  Inn  — Swallowing  a Fish-bone  — Poverty 
and  Suicide  — An  Inn-kitchen  — England  Unknown  I — My  Break- 
fast Disappears. 

Kubujiatoge,  June  20. 

A SHORT  ride  took  us  from  Ichikawa  to  a plain  about 
eleven  miles  broad  by  eighteen  long.  The  large  town 
of  Wakamatsu  stands  near  its  southern  end,  and  it  is 
sprinkled  with  towns  and  villages.  The  great  lake  of 
Iniwashiro  is  not  far  off.  The  plain  is  rich  and  fertile. 
In  the  distance  the  steep  roofs  of  its  villages  with  their 
groves  look  very  picturesque.  As  usual  not  a fence  or 
gate  is  to  be  seen,  or  any  other  hedge  than  the  tall  one 
used  as  a screen  for  the  dwellings  of  the  richer  farmers. 
I must  confess  that  it  is  a lovely  plain,  well  wooded 
and  watered,  its  thriving  villages  half  hidden  by  per- 
simmon and  walnut-trees,  and  its  fertile  acres  so  mag- 
nificently tilled  that  even  at  this  prolific  season  not  a 
weed  is  to  be  seen.  The  lacquer-tree  (^Rhus  vernieifera) 
abounds,  and  one  of  the  finest  of  the  native  trees,  keaki, 
the  Japanese  elm  {Zelkoioa  keaki),  grows  to  an  immense 
size.  I measured  the  girth  of  one  of  these  which  was 
surrounded  by  the  ShintS  straw  rope,  and  found  it  ^8 
feet  10  inches,  at  four  feet  from  the  ground,  and  the 
spread  of  its  thick  drooping  foliage  was  noble  in  propor- 
tion. Tea  grows  in  every  garden,  and  mulberry-treei 


A TROUBLESOME  CROWD. 


181 


everywhere  show  that  sericulture  is  one  of  the  leading 
industries  of  the  district,  and  the  paper  mulberry 
(^Broussonettia  papyriferd)  is  also  abundant. 

Bad  roads  and  bad  horses  detracted  from  my  enjoy 
ment.  One  hour  of  a good  horse  would  have  carried 
me  across  the  plain ; as  it  was,  seven  weary  hours  were 
expended  upon  it.  The  day  degenerated,  and  closed 
in  still,  hot  rain,  the  air  was  stifling  and  electric,  the 
saddle  slipped  constantly  from  being  too  big,  the  shoes 
were  more  than  usually  troublesome,  the  horseflies 
tormented,  and  the  men  and  horses  crawled.  The 
rice-fields  were  undergoing  a second  process  of  pud- 
dling, and  many  of  the  men  engaged  in  it  wore  only  a 
hat,  and  a fan  attached  to  the  girdle. 

An  avenue  of  cryptomeria  and  two  handsome  and 
somewhat  gilded  Buddhist  temples  denoted  the  ap- 
proach to  a place  of  some  importance,  and  such  Takata 
is,  as  being  a large  town  with  a considerable  trade  in 
silk,  rope,  and  ninjin,  and  the  residence  of  one  of  the 
higher  officials  of  the  ken  or  prefecture.  The  street  is 
a mile  long,  and  every  house  is  a shop.  The  general 
aspect  is  mean  and  forlorn.  In  these  little-travelled 
districts,  as  soon  as  one  reaches  the  margin  of  a town, 
the  first  man  one  meets  turns  and  flies  down  the  street, 
calling  out  the  Japanese  equivalent  of  “Here’s  a for- 
eigner ! ” and  soon  blind  and  seeing,  old  and  young, 
clothed  and  naked,  gather  together.  At  the  yadoya  the 
crowd  assembled  in  such  force  that  the  house-master 
removed  me  to  some  pretty  rooms  in  a garden ; but 
then  the  adults  climbed  on  the  house-roofs  which  over- 
looked it,  and  the  children  on  a palisade  at  the  end, 
which  broke  down  under  their  weight,  and  admitted 
the  whole  inundation ; so  that  I had  to  close  the  shoji, 
with  the  fatiguing  consciousness  during  the  whole  time 
of  nominal  rest  of  a multitude  surging  outside.  Then 


182 


UNBEATEN  TRACKS  IN  JAPAN. 


five  policemen  in  black  alpaca  frock-coats  and  white 
trousers  invaded  my  precarious  privacy,  desiring  to  see 
my  passport  — a demand  never  made  before  except 
where  I halted  for  the  night.  In  their  European 
clothes  they  cannot  bow  with  Japanese  punctiliousness 
but  they  were  very  polite,  and  expressed  great  annoy- 
ance at  the  crowd,  and  dispersed  it ; but  they  had  hard- 
ly disappeared  when  it  gathered  again.  When  I went 
out  I found  fully  1000  people  helping  me  to  realize  how 
the  crowded  cities  of  Judea  sent  forth  people  clothed 
much  as  these  are  when  the  Miracle-Worker  from  Gali- 
lee arrived,  but  not  what  the  fatigue  of  the  crowding 
and  buzzing  must  have  been  to  One  who  had  been 
preaching  and  working  during  the  long  day\  These 
Japanese  crowds,  however,  are  quiet  and  gentle,  and 
never  press  rudely  upon  one.  I could  not  find  it  in 
my  heart  to  complain  of  them  except  to  ymu.  Four  of 
the  policemen  returned,  and  escorted  me  to  the  out- 
skirts of  the  town.  The  noise  made  by^  1000  people 
shuflfiing  along  in  clogs  is  like  the  clatter  of  a hail- 
storm. 

Paper  plays  such  an  important  part  in  Japan  that  I 
was  very  glad  to  learn  a little  about  it  at  a farm  near 
Takata,  to  which  I took  an  introduction,  and  found  the 
farmer  very  polite.  The  Broussonettia  pap>/rifcra  is 
the  plant  from  wliich  the  Polynesians  make  their  tajja 
or  paper  cloth.  In  Japan  its  cultm-e  is  a most  impor- 
tant industry.  Plants  of  ^he  Buddlea  and  Hibiscus 
species  are  also  used,  but  only  in  small  quantities,  for 
mixing  vdth  the  bark  of  the  paper  mulberry.  Over 
sixty  kinds  of  paper  are  manufactui’ed,  and  etiquette 
prescribes  the  use  which  is  made  of  each.  To  say  noth- 
ing of  walls,  windows,  cups,  pocket-handkerchiefs,  lan- 
terns, string,  Avrappers,  cloaks,  hats,  baggage-covers,  it 
is  used  domestically^  and  professionally  for  all  purposes 


JAPANESE  PAPER. 


183 


for  which  we  use  lint,  bandages,  and  cloths,  and  the 
consumption  of  it  is  enormous.  It  is  so  tenacious  as  to 
be  nearly  untearable,  and  even  the  finest  kind,  an  ex- 
quisite and  almost  diaphanous  fabric,  soft  like  the  most 
delicate  silk  crepe,  in  which  fine  gold  lacquer  is  usually 
wrapped,  can  only  be  torn  with  difficulty. 

At  this  farm  paper  was  being  made  in  a small  quantity 
for  home  use.  The  farmer,  Tanaka,  said  that  the  paper 
mulberry  shoots,  after  being  allowed  to  grow  to  a length 
of  five  feet,  are  cut  annually,  and  soaked  in  water  for 
several  days,  after  which  the  bark  is  taken  off  and 
boiled  in  ley ; the  inner  and  whiter  bark  which  is 
used  for  making  the  better  qualities  of  paper,  being 
separated  from  the  outer.  He  was  only  using  the 
coarsest.  The  bark  is  beaten,  as  in  Hawaii,  into  a pulp, 
and  a small  quantity  is  taken  up  on  a frame  and  allowed 
to  dry  in  the  sun.  Tanaka  was  making  a coarse  grey 
kind,  used  for  covering  the  pads  which  soften  the 
wooden  pillows  of  the  poorest  classes.  The  sheets,  14 
inches  by  10  inches,  are  sold  at  three  for  a farthing. 

After  this  there  was  a dismal  tramp  of  five  hours 
through  rice-fields.  The  moist  climate  and  the  fatigue 
of  this  manner  of  travelling  are  deteriorating  my  health, 
and  the  pain  in  my  spine,  which  has  been  daily  in- 
creasing, was  so  severe  that  I could  neither  ride  nor 
walk  for  more  than  twenty  minutes  at  a time  ; and  the 
pace  was  so  slow  that  it  was  six  when  we  reached 
Bang4,  a commercial  town  of  5000  people,  literally  in 
the  rice-swamp,  mean,  filthy,  damp,  and  decaying,  and 
full  of  an  overpowering  stench  from  black,  slimy  ditches. 
The  mercury  was  84°,  and  hot  rain  fell  fast  through 
the  motionless  air.  We  dismounted  in  a shed  full  of 
bales  of  dried  fish,  which  gave  off  an  overpowering 
odoiir,  and  wet  and  dii’ty  people  crowded  in  to  stare 
at  the  foreigner  till  the  air  seemed  unbreathable. 


184 


UNBEATEN  TRACES  IN  JAPAN. 


But  there  were  signs  of  progress.  A three  days 
congress  of  schoolmasters  was  being  held ; candidates 
for  vacant  situations  were  being  examined  ; there  were 
lengthy  educational  discussions  going  on,  specially  on 
the  subject  of  the  value  of  the  Chinese  classics  as  a part 
of  education  ; and  every  inn  was  crowded. 

Bangd  was  malarious : there  was  so  much  malarious 
fever  that  the  Government  had  sent  additional  medical 
assistance ; the  hills  were  only  a ri  off,  and  it  seemed 
essential  to  go  on.  But  not  a horse  could  be  got  till  10 
r M ; the  road  was  worse  than  the  one  I had  travelled ; 
the  pain  became  more  acute,  and  I more  exhausted,  and 
I was  obliged  to  remain.  Then  followed  a weary  hour, 
in  which  the  Express  Agent’s  five  emissaries  were 
searching  for  a room,  and  considerably  after  dark  I 
found  myself  in  a rambling  old  overcrowded  yadoya, 
where  my  room  was  mainly  built  on  piles  above  stagnant 
water,  and  the  mosquitoes  were  in  such  swarms  as  to 
make  the  air  dense,  and  after  a feverish  and  miserable 
night  I was  glad  to  get  up  early  and  depart. 

Fully  2000  people  had  assembled.  After  I was 
mounted  I was  on  the  point  of  removing  my  Dollond 
from  the  case,  which  hung  on  the  saddle  horn,  when  a 
regular  stampede  occurred,  old  and  jmung  running  as 
fast  as  they  possibly  could,  children  being  knocked 
down  in  the  haste  of  their  elders.  Ito  said  that  they 
thought  I was  taking  out  a pistol  to  frighten  them,  and 
I made  him  explain  what  the  object  really  was,  for  they 
are  a gentle,  harmless  people,  whom  one  would  not 
annoy  without  sincere  regret.  In  many  European 
countries,  and  certainly  in  some  parts  of  our  own,  a 
solitary  lady-traveller  in  a foreign  dress  woidd  be  ex- 
posed to  rudeness,  insult,  and  extortion,  if  not  to  actual 
danger ; but  I have  not  met  with  a single  instance  of 
incivility  or  real  overcharge,  and  there  is  no  rudeness 


BAB  BOABS. 


185 


even  a, bout  the  crowding.  The  mago  are  anxious  that 
I should  not  get  wet  or  be  frightened,  and  veiy  scru- 
pulous in  seeing  that  all  straps  and  loose  things  are  safe 
at  the  end  of  the  journey,  and  instead  of  hanging  about 
asking  for  gratuities,  or  stopping  to  drink  and  gossip, 
they  quickly  unload  the  horses,  get  a paper  from  the 
Transport  Agent,  and  go  home.  Only  yesterday  a strap 
was  missing,  and  though  it  was  after  dark,  the  man 
went  back  a ri  for  it,  and  refused  to  take  some  sen 
which  I wished  to  give  him,  saying  he  was  responsible 
for  delivering  everything  right  at  the  journey’s  end. 
They  are  so  kind  and  courteous  to  each  otlier,  which  is 
very  pleasing.  Ito  is  not  pleasing  or  polite  in  his  man- 
ner to  me,  but  when  he  speaks  to  his  own  people  he 
cannot  free  himself  from  the  shackles  of  etiquette,  and 
bows  as  profoundly  and  uses  as  many  polite  phrases  as 
anybody  else. 

In  an  hour  the  malarious  plain  was  crossed,  and  we 
have  been  among  piles  of  mountains  ever  since.  The 
infamous  road  was  so  slippery  that  my  horse  fell  several 
times,  and  the  baggage  horse,  with  Ito  upon  him,  rolled 
head  over  heels,  sending  his  miscellaneous  pack  in  all 
directions.  Good  roads  are  reallj^  the  most  pressing 
need  of  Japan.  It  would  be  far  better  if  the  Govern- 
ment were  to  enrich  the  country  by  such  a remunera- 
tive outlay  as  making  passable  roads  for  the  transport 
of  goods  through  the  interior,  than  to  impoverish  it  by 
buying  iron-clads  in  England,  and  indulging  in  expen- 
sive western  vanities. 

That  so  horrible  a road  should  have  so  good  a bridge 
as  that  by  wliich  we  crossed  the  broad  river  Agano  is 
surprising.  It  consists  of  twelve  large  scows,  each  one 
secured  to  a strong  cable  of  plaited  wistaria,  which 
crosses  the  river  at  a great  height,  so  as  to  allow  of  the 
scows  and  the  plank  bridge  which  they  carry  rising  and 
falling  with  the  twelve  feet  variation  of  the  water. 


186 


UNBEATEN  TRACKS  IN  JAPAN. 


Ilo’s  disaster  kept  him  back  for  an  hour,  and  I sai 
meanwhile  on  a rice-sack  in  the  hamlet  of  Katakado,  a 
collecjtion  of  steep-roofed  houses  huddled  together  on 
a height  above  the  Agano.  It  was  one  mob  of  pack- 
horses,  over  200  of  them,  biting,  squealing,  and  kicking. 
Before  I coidd  dismount,  one  vicious  creature  struck  at 
me  violently,  but  only  hit  the  great  wooden  stirrup.  1 
could  hardly  find  any  place  out  of  the  range  of  hoofs 
or  teeth.  My  baggage  horse  showed  great  fury  after  he 
was  unloaded.  He  attacked  people  right  and  left  with 
his  teeth,  struck  out  savagely  with  his  fore  feet,  lashed 
out  with  his  hind  ones,  and  tried  to  pin  his  master  up 
against  a wall. 

Leaving  this  fractious  scene,  we  struck  again  through 
the  mountains.  Their  ranges  were  interminable,  and 
every  view  from  every  fresh  ridge  grander  than  the  last, 
for  we  were  now  near  the  lofty  range  of  the  Aidzu 
Mountains,  and  the  double-peaked  Bandaisan,  the 
abrupt  precipices  of  Itoyasan,  and  the  grand  mass  of 
Miyojintakd  in  the  south-west,  with  their  vast  snow- 
fields  and  snow-filled  ravines,  were  all  visible  at  once. 
These  summits  of  naked  rock  or  dazzling  snow,  rising 
above  the  smothering  greenery  of  the  lower  ranges  into 
a heaven  of  delicious  blue,  gave  exactly  that  individu- 
ality and  emphasis  which  to  my  thinking  Japanese 
scenery  usually  lacks.  Riding  on  first,  I arrived  alone 
at  the  little  town  of  Nozawa  to  encounter  the  curiosity 
of  a crowd,  and,  after  a rest,  we  had  a very  pleasant 
walk  of  three  miles  along  the  side  of  a ridge  above  a 
rapid  river  with  fine  gray  cliffs  on  its  farther  side,  with 
a grand  view  of  the  Aidzu  giants  violet  coloured  in  a 
golden  sunset. 

The  sound  of  the  bronze  bells  of  temples  floated  with 
a sweet  mournfulness  on  the  still  air,  making  one  forget 
that  tbe  lo^ving  of  kine  and  bleating  of  sheep,  whieb 


A PICTURESQUE  INN. 


187 


would  have  been  more  appropriate  to  su3h  a pastoral- 
looking region,  were  absent. 

At  dusk  we  came  upon  the  picturesque  village  of 
Nojiri,  on  the  margin  of  a rice-valley,  but  I shrank  from 
spending  Sunday  in  a bole,  and  having  spied  a solitary 
house  on  the  very  brow  of  a hill  1500  feet  higher,  I 
dragged  out  the  information  that  it  was  a tea-house,  and 
came  up  to  it.  It  took  three  quarters  of  an  hour  to 
climb  the  series  of  precipitous  zigzags  by  which  this 
remarkable  pass  is  surmounted ; darkness  came  on, 
accompanied  by  thunder  and  lightning,  and  just  as  we 
arrived  a tremendous  zigzag  of  blue  flame  lit  up  the 
house  and  its  interior,  showing  a large  group  sitting 
round  a wood  fire,  and  then  all  was  tliick  darkness 
again.  It  was  a most  startling  effect.  This  house  is 
magnificently  situated,  almost  hanging  over  the  edge  of 
the  knife-like  ridge  of  the  pass  of  Kuruma,  on  which  it 
is  situated.  It  is  the  only  yadoya  I have  been  at  from 
which  there  has  been  any  view.  The  villages  are  nearly 
always  in  the  valleys,  and  the  best  rooms  are  at  the 
back,  and  have  their  prospects  limited  by  the  paling  of 
the  conventional  garden.  If  it  were  not  for  the  fleas, 
which  are  here  in  legions,  I should  stay  longer,  for  the 
view  of  the  Aidzu  snow  is  delicious,  and,  as  there  are 
only  two  other  houses,  one  can  ramble  without  being 
mobbed. 

In  one,  a child  two  and  a half  years  old  swallowed  a 
fish-bone  last  night,  and  has  been  suffering  and  crying 
all  da}^  and  the  grief  of  the  mother  so  won  Ito’s  sym- 
pathy that  he  took  me  to  see  her.  She  had  walked  up 
and  down  with  it  for  eighteen  hours,  but  never  thought 
of  looking  into  its  throat,  and  was  very  unwilling  that 
I should  do  so.  The  bone  was  visible,  and  easily  re- 
moved with  a crochet  needle.  An  hour  later  the 
mother  sent  a tray  with  a quantity  of  cakes  and  coarse 


188 


UNBEATEN  TRACKS  IN  JAPAN. 


confectionery  upon  it  as  a present,  with  the  piece  of 
dried  seaweed  which  always  accompanies  a gift.  Before 
night  seven  people  with  sore  legs  applied  for  “ advice.” 
The  sores  were  all  superficial  and  all  alike,  and  theii 
owners  said  that  they  had  been  produced  by  the  inces- 
sant rubbing  of  the  bites  of  ants. 

On  this  summer  day  the  country  looks  as  prosperous 
as  it  is  beautiful,  and  one  would  not  tliink  that  acute 
poverty  could  exist  in  the  steep-roofed  village  of  Xojiri 
which  nestles  at  the  foot  of  the  hill ; but  two  hempen 
ropes  dangling  from  a cryptomeria  just  below  tell  the 
sad  tale  of  an  elderly  man  who  hanged  himself  two 
days  ago,  because  he  was  too  poor  to  provide  for  a large 
family ; and  the  house-mistress  and  Ito  tell  me  that 
when  a man  who  has  a young  family  gets  too  old  or 
feeble  for  work,  he  often  destroys  himself. 

Suicide  appears  ver}'’  common.  When  a young  man 
and  woman  wish  to  marry,  and  the  consent  of  the  par- 
ents is  refused,  they  often  bind  themselves  together  and 
drown  themselves.  [This  is  such  a frequent  offence 
that  the  new  Code  imposes  penal  servitude  for  ten  years 
on  people  arrested  in  the  commission  of  it.]  Women 
never  hang  themselves,  but,  as  may  be  expected,  suicide 
is  more  common  among  them  than  among  men,  and  an 
acute  sense  of  shame,  lovers’  quarrels,  cruelties  prac- 
tised upon  geishas  and  others  by  those  who  are  their 
taskmasters  for  a term  of  years,  the  loss  of  personal 
charms  through  age  or  dlness,  and  even  the  dread  of 
such  loss,  are  the  most  usual  causes.  In  these  cases 
they  usually  go  out  at  night,  and  after  filling  their  ca- 
pacious hanging  sleeves  with  stones,  jump  into  a river 
or  well.  I have  passed  two  wells  wJiich  are  at  present 
disused  in  consequence  of  recent  suicides. 

My  hostess  is  a widow  with  a family,  a good-natured, 
bustling  woman,  witli  a great  love  of  talk.  All  day  liei 


ENGLAND  IS  UNKNOWN. 


189 


house  is  open  all  round,  having  literally  no  walls.  The 
roof  and  solitary  upper  room  are  supported  on  posts, 
and  my  ladder  almost  touches  the  Idtchen  fire.  During 
the  da}'-time  the  large  matted  area  under  the  roof  has 
no  divisions,  and  gronps  of  travellers  and  magos  lie 
about ; for  every  one  who  has  toiled  up  either  side  of 
Kurumatogd  takes  a cup  of  “ tea  with  eating,”  and  the 
house-mistress  is  busy  the  whole  day.  A big  well  is 
near  the  fire.  Of  course  there  is  no  furniture ; but  a 
shelf  runs  under  the  roof  on  which  there  is  a Buddhist 
god-house,  with  two  black  idols  in  it,  one  of  them  being 
that  much-worshipped  divinity,  Daikoku,  the  god  of 
wealth.  Besides  a rack  for  kitchen  utensils,  there  is 
only  a stand  on  which  are  six  large  brown  dishes  with 
food  for  sale  — salt  shell-fish,  in  a black  liquid,  dried 
trout  impaled  on  sticks,  sea  slugs  in  soy,  a paste  made 
of  pounded  roots,  and  green  cakes  made  of  the  slimy 
river  eonfervoe.,  pressed  and  dried  — all  ill-favoured  and 
unsavoury  viands.  This  afternoon  a man  without 
clothes  was  treading  flour  paste  on  a mat,  a traveller  in 
a blue  silk  robe  was  lying  on  the  floor  smoking,  and  five 
women  in  loose  attire,  with  elaborate  chignons  and 
blackened  teeth,  were  squatting  round  the  fire.  At  the 
house-mistress’s  request  I wrote  a eulogistic  description 
of  the  view  from  her  house,  and  read  it  in  English,  Ito 
translating  it,  to  the  very  great  satisfaction  of  the  as- 
semblage. Then  I was  asked  to  write  on  four  fans. 
The  woman  has  never  heard  of  England.  It  is  not  “ a 
name  to  conjure  with  ” in  these  wilds.  Neither  has  she 
heard  of  America.  She  knows  of  Russia  as  a great 
power,  and  of  course  of  China,  but  there  her  knowl- 
edge ends,  though  she  has  been  at  T8kiy6  and  Kiyoto. 

July  1.  — I was  just  fallmg  asleep  last  night,  in  spite 
of  mosquitoes  and  fleas,  when  I was  roused  by  much 
talking  and  loud  outcries  of  poultry ; and  Ito  carrying 


190 


UNBEATEN  TRACKS  IN  JAPAN. 


a screaming,  refractory  hen,  and  a man  and  woman 
whom  he  had  with  difiBculty  bribed  to  part  with  it, 
appeared  by  my  bed.  I feebly  said  I would  have  it 
boiled  for  breakfast,  but  when  Ito  called  me  this  morn- 
ing he  told  me  with  a most  rueful  face  that  just  as  he 
was  going  to  kill  it  it  had  escaped  to  the  woods ! In 
order  to  understand  my  feelings  you  must  have  experi- 
enced what  it  is  not  to  have  tasted  fish,  flesh,  or  fowl, 
for  ten  days  I The  alternative  was  eggs  and  some  of 
the  paste  which  the  man  was  treading  yesterday  on  the 
mat  cut  into  strips  and  boiled ! It  was  coarse  flour 
and  buckwheat,  so  you  see  I have  learned  not  to  be 
particular ! L L.  B. 


AN  INFAMOUS  HOAD. 


191 


EXTREME  FILTHINESS, 

Aji  Infamous  Koad — Monotonous  Greenery  — Abysmal  Dirt  — Lou 
Lives  — Tlie  Lacquer  Tree  — Lacquer  Poisoning  — The  Wax  Tree 
and  Wax  Candles  — The  Tsugawa  Yadoya  — Politeness — A Ship- 
ping Port  — A “Foreign  Devil.” 

Tsugawa,  July  2. 

Yesterday’s  journey  was  one  of  the  most  severe  1 
have  yet  had,  for  in  ten  hours  of  hard  travelling  I only 
accomplished  fifteen  miles.  The  road  from  Kuruma- 
tog^  westwards  is  so  infamous  that  the  stages  are  some- 
times little  more  than  a mile.  Yet  it  is  by  it,  so  far  at 
least  as  the  Tsugawa  river,  that  the  produce  and  manu- 
factures of  the  rich  plain  of  Aidzu  with  its  numerous 
towns,  and  of  a very  large  interior  district,  must  find  an 
outlet  at  Niigata.  In  defiance  of  all  modern  ideas  it 
goes  straight  up  and  straight  down  hill,  at  a gradient 
that  I should  be  afraid  to  hazard  a guess  at,  and  at 
present  it  is  a perfect  quagmire,  into  which  great  stones 
have  been  thrown,  some  of  wliich  have  subsided  edge- 
wise, and  others  have  disappeared  altogether.  It  is  the 
very  worst  road  I ever  rode  over,  and  that  is  saying  a 
good  deal ! Kurumatoge  was  the  last  of  seventeen 
mountain  passes,  over  2000  feet  high,  which  I have 
crossed  since  leaving  NikkO.  Between  it  and  Tsugawa 
the  scenery,  though  on  a smaller  scale,  is  of  much  the 
same  character  as  hitherto  — hiUs  wooded  to  their  tops, 
cleft  by  ravines  which  open  out  occasionally  to  divulge 
more  distant  ranges,  all  smothered  in  greenery,  which, 
when  I am  ill-pleased,  I am  inclined  to  call  “ rank  vege- 


192 


UNBEATEN  TRACKS  IN  JAPAN. 


tation.”  Oh  that  an  abrupt  scaur,  or  a strip  of  flaming 
desert,  or  something  salient  and  brilliant,  would  break 
in,  however  discordantly,  upon  this  monotony  of  green  I 

Th?  villages  of  that  district  must,  I tliink,  have 
reacxied  the  lowest  abyss  of  filthiness  in  Hozawa  and 
Saikaiyama.  Fowls,  dogs,  horses,  and  people  herded 
together  in  sheds  black  with  wood  smoke,  and  manure 
heaps  drained  into  the  wells.  No  young  boy  wore  any 
clothing.  Few  of  the  men  wore  anything  but  the  maru, 
the  women  were  unclothed  to  their  waists,  and  such 
clothing  as  they  had  was  very  dirty,  and  held  together 
by  mere  force  of  habit.  The  adults  were  covered  with 
inflamed  bites  of  insects,  and  the  children  mth  skin-dis- 
ease. Their  houses  were  dirt}-,  and  as  they  squatted  on 
their  heels,  or  lay  face  downwards,  they  looked  little 
better  than  savages.  Their  appearance  and  the  want  of 
delicacy  of  their  habits  are  simply  abominable,  and  in 
the  latter  respect  they  contrast  to  great  disadvantage 
with  several  savage  peoples  that  I have  been  among. 
If  T had  kept  to  NikkO,  Hakone,  Miyanoshita,  and  simi- 
lar places  visited  by  foreigners  with  less  time,  I should 
have  formed  a very  different  impression.  Is  them  spir- 
itual condition,  I often  wonder,  much  higher  than  their 
physical  one  ? They  are  couideous,  kindly,  industrious, 
and  free  from  gross  crimes  ; but,  from  the  conversations 
that  I have  had  with  Japanese,  and  from  much  that  I 
see,  I judge  that  their  standard  of  foundational  morality 
is  very  low,  and  that  life  is  neither  truthful  nor  pure. 

All  that  remains  to  them  of  religion  is  a few  super- 
stitions, and  futurity,  whether  as  regards  hope  or  lear, 
is  a blank  about  which  they  hardly  trouble  themselves. 
Truly  they  are  in  sore  need  of  ameliorating  hifluences, 
and  of  being  lifted  up  to  that  type  of  highest  manli- 
ness and  womanliness  which  constitutes  the  Chi’istian 
ideal.  If  they  were  less  courteous  and  kindly  one 


LACQUER  POISONING. 


193 


w^ould  be  less  painfully  exercised  about  their  condition, 
which,  however,  under  its  best  aspects,  is  devoid  of  the 
highest  elements  of  noble  living.  The  day’s  tramp 
through  mire  ended  in  a broad  valley  surrounded  by 
abrupt  conical  hills,  and  varied  by  conical  knolls 
covered  with  the  dark  cryptomeria.  The  lacquer  tree 
(^Rhus  V.')  grows  abundantly  throughout  the  region.  It 
does  not  attain  a larger  size  than  our  ordinary  ash, 
which  it  much  resembles  in  general  aspect.  It  is  grown 
for  the  sake  of  that  celebrated  varnish  which  gives  its 
name  to  the  most  beautiful  of  Japanese  manufactures. 
The  trees  are  all  scarred  with  numerous  longitudinal 
incisions  from  which  the  substance  exudes  in  the  early 
spring.  As  taken  from  the  tree  it  is  of  the  colour  and 
consistence  of  thick  cream,  but  becomes  dark  on  expos- 
ure to  the  air.  Lacquer  is  used  for  all  kinds  of  pur- 
poses, from  the  golden  shrines  of  Shiba  and  NikkS, 
down  to  the  rice  bowl  in  which  the  humblest  coolie 
takes  his  meal.  I can  no  more  fancy  Japan  without 
lacquer  than  without  paper,  and  combinations  of  the 
two  are  universal.  The  finely  lacquered  articles  which 
are  sold  in  the  shops  are  enriched  with  five  coats  of  the 
varnish,  and  good  old  lacquer  bears  the  contact  of  live 
embers  without  blistering.  The  seed  of  the  lacquer 
tree  produces  a good  deal  of  oil.  The  smell  or  touch, 
or  both  combined,  of  new  lacquer  produces  in  a great 
many  people,  both  natives  and  foreigners,  a very  un- 
comfortable malady  known  as  “lacquer  poisoning,” 
which  in  mild  cases  affects  the  skin  only,  but  in  severe 
ones  the  system  generally.  Ito  will  on  no  account 
touch  a lacquer  tree,  or  take  shelter  under  one  from 
the  rain. 

Its  kinsman,  the  Rhus  succedanea,  from  which  vege- 
table wax  is  made,  is  grown  to  a small  extent  in  this 
district.  I associate  it  with  many  a dismal  evening  in 


194 


UNBEATEN  TRACKS  IN  JAPAN. 


which  I have  attempted  to  write  to  you  by  the  curiouslj 
litful  light  of  a greenish  candle  with  a thick  paper  wick 
which  burns  smokily,  giving  off  a tallowy  smell.  The 
wax  as  exported  to  England  for  use  in  the  manufac- 
f ure  of  wax-candles  is  carefully  bleached,  but  for  homo 
use  the  bean-shaped,  dark  yellow  kernel,  after  being 
deprived  of  its  husk  by  a process  analogous  to  rice- 
husking,  is  only  steamed  to  soften  it,  then  pressed,  and 
the  oil  which  is  the  result  is  received  into  earthen  ves- 
sels, in  which  it  hardens  into  a bluish  green  mass, 
ready  to  be  made  into  candles. 

I put  up  here  at  a crowded  yadoya.,  where  they  have 
given  me  two  cheerful  rooms  in  the  garden  away  from 
the  crowd.  Ito’s  great  desire  on  arriving  at  any  place 
is  to  shut  me  up  in  my  room,  and  keep  me  a close  pris- 
oner till  the  start  the  next  morning ; but  here  I emanci- 
pated myself,  and  enjoyed  myself  very  much  sitting  in 
the  daidokoro.  The  house-master  is  of  the  samurai  or 
two-sworded  class,  now,  as  such,  extinct.  His  face  is 
longer,  his  lips  thinner,  and  his  nose  straighter  and  more 
prominent  than  those  of  the  lower  class,  and  there  is 
a difference  in  his  manner  and  bearing.  I have  had  a 
great  deal  of  interesting  conversation  with  him. 

In  the  same  open  spaee  his  clerk  was  writing  at  a 
lacquer  desk  of  the  stereotyped  form,  a low  bench  with 
the  ends  rolled  over,  a woman  was  tailoring,  coolies  were 
washing  their  feet  on  the  itama.,  and  several  more  were 
squatting  round  the  irori  smoking  and  drinking  tea.  A 
coolie  servant  washed  some  rice  for  my  dinner,  but  be- 
fore doing  so  took  off  his  clothes,  and  the  woman  who 
cooked  it  let  her  kimono  fall  to  her  waist  before  she  be- 
gan to  work,  as  is  customary  among  respectable  women. 
The  house-master’s  wife  and  Ito  talked  about  me  un- 
guardedly I asked  what  they  were  saying.  “She 
says,”  said  he,  “that  you  are  very  polite  — for  a for- 


A "FOREIGN  devil:’ 


IGf) 

eigiier,”  he  added.  I asked  what  she  meant,  and  found 
that  it  was  because  I took  off  my  boots  before  I stepped 
on  the  matting,  and  bowed  when  they  handed  me  the 
tabako-bon. 

We  walked  through  the  town  to  find  something  eat- 
able for  to-morrow’s  river  journey,  but  only  succeeded 
in  getting  wafers  made  of  white  of  egg  and  sugar,  balls 
made  of  sugar  and  barley  flour,  and  beans  coated  with 
sugar.  Thatch,  with  its  picturesqueness,  has  disafh 
peared,  and  the  Tsugawa  roofs  are  of  strips  of  bark 
weighted  with  large  stones  ; but  as  the  houses  turn  their 
gable  ends  to  the  street,  and  there  is  a promenade  the 
whole  way  under  the  eaves,  and  the  street  turns  twice 
at  right  angles  and  terminates  in  temple  grounds  on  a 
bank  above  the  river,  it  is  less  monotonous  than  most 
Japanese  towns.  It  is  a place  of  3000  people,  and  a 
good  deal  of  produce  is  shipped  from  hence  to  Niigata 
by  the  river.  To-day  it  is  thronged  with  pack-horses. 
I was  much  mobbed,  and  one  child  formed  the  solitary 
exception  to  the  general  rule  of  politeness  by  calling 
me  a name  equivalent  to  the  Chinese  Fan  Kwai,  “For- 
eign Devil ; ” but  he  was  severely  chidden,  and  a police- 
man has  just  called  with  an  apology.  A slice  of  fresh 
salmon  has  been  produced,  and  I tliink  I never  tasted 
anything  so  delicious.  I have  finished  the  first  part  of 
my  land  journey,  and  leave  for  Niigata  by  boat  to- 
morrow morning.  I.  L.  B. 


196 


UNBEATEN  TBjlCKS  IN  JAB  AN. 


A RIVER  JOURNEY. 

A.  Hurry  — The  Tsugawa  Packet-boat  — Running  the  Rapids  — Fan 
tastic  Scenery  — The  River-life  — Vineyards  — Diying  Barley  — 
Summer  Silence  — The  Outskirts  of  Niigata  — The  Church  Mis- 
sion House. 

Nugata,  July  4. 

The  boat  for  Niigata  was  to  leave  at  8,  but  at  5 Ito 
roused  me  by  saying  they  were  going  at  once,  as  it  was 
full,  and  we  left  in  haste,  the  house-master  running  to 
the  river  with  one  of  my  large  baskets  on  his  back 
to  “ speed  the  parting  guest.”  Two  rivers  unite  to  form 
a stream  over  whose  beauty  I would  gladl}^  have  lin- 
gered, and  the  morning,  singularly  rich  and  tender  in  its 
coloui'ing,  ripened  into  a glorious  day  of  light  without 
glare,  and  heat  without  oppressiveness.  The  “ packet  ” 
was  a stoutly  built  boat,  45  feet  long  by  6 broad,  pro- 
pelled by  one  man  sculling  at  the  stern,  and  another 
pulling  a short  broad-bladed  oar,  which  worked  in  a 
wistaria  loop  at  the  bow.  It  had  a croquet  mallet  nan- 
dle  about  18  inches  long,  to  which  the  man  gave  a 
wriggling  turn  at  each  stroke.  Both  rower  and  sculler 
stood  the  whole  time,  clad  in  umbrella  hats.  The  fore 
part  and  centre  carried  bags  of  rice  and  crates  of  poU 
tery,  and  the  hinder  part  had  a thatched  roof,  which, 
when  we  started,  sheltered  twenty-five  Japanese,  but 
we  dropped  tliem  at  hamlets  on  the  river,  and  reached 
Niigata  with  only  three.  I had  my  chair  on  the  top  of 
the  cargo,  and  found  the  voj^age  a delightful  change 
from  the  fatiguing  crawl  through  quagmii-es  at  the  rate 


FANTASTIC  SCENES T. 


197 


of  from  15  to  18  miles  a day.  This  trip  is  called  “ run- 
ning the  rapids  of  the  Tsugawa,”  because  for  about 
twelve  miles  the  river,  hemmed  in  by  lofty  cliffs,  studded 
with  visible  and  sunken  rocks,  making  several  abrupt 
turns  and  shallowing  in  many  places,  hurries  a boat 
swiftly  downwards ; and  it  is  said  that  it  requires  long 
practice,  skill,  and  coolness  on  the  part  of  the  boatmen 
to  prevent  grave  and  frequent  accidents.  But  if  they 
are  rapids,  they  are  on  a small  scale,  and  look  anytliing 
but  formidable.-  With  the  river  at  its  present  height 
the  boats  run  down  forty-five  miles  in  eight  hours, 
charging  only  30  sen  or  Is.  3d.,  but  it  takes  from  five  to 
seven  days  to  get  up,  and  much  hard  work  in  poling 
and  towing. 

The  boat  had  a thoroughly  “ native  ” look,  with  its 
bronzed  crew,  thatched  roof,  and  the  umbrella  hats  of 
all  its  passengers  hanging  on  the  mast.  I enjoyed  every 
hour  of  the  day.  It  was  luxury  to  drop  quietly  down 
the  stream,  the  air  was  delicious,  and  having  heard  noth- 
ing of  it,  the  beauty  of  the  Tsugawa  came  upon  me  as 
a pleasant  surprise,  besides  that  every  mile  brought  me 
nearer  the  hoped-for  home  letters.  Almost  as  soon  as 
we  left  Tsugawa  the  downward  passage  was  apparently 
barred  by  fantastic  mountains,  which  just  opened  their 
rocky  gates  wide  enough  to  let  us  through,  and  then 
closed  again.  Pmnacles  and  needles  of  bare,  flushed 
rock  rose  out  of  luxuriant  vegetation  — Quiraing  with- 
out its  bareness,  the  Rhine  without  its  ruins,  and  more 
beautiful  than  both.  There  were  mountains  connected 
by  ridges  no  broader  than  a horse’s  back,  others  with 
great  grey  buttresses,  deep  chasms  cleft  by  streams, 
temples  with  pagoda  roofs  on  heights,  sunny  villages 
with  deep  thatched  roofs  hidden  away  among  blos- 
soming trees,  and  through  rifts  in  the  nearer  ranges 
glimpses  of  snowy  mountains. 


198 


UNBEATEN  TRACKS  IN  JAPAN. 


After  a rapid  run  of  twelve  miles  through  this  en- 
chanting scenery,  the  remaining  course  of  the  Tsugawa 
is  that  of  a broad,  full  stream  winding  marvellously 
through  a wooded  and  tolerably  level  country,  partially 
surrounded  by  snowy  mountains.  The  river  life  was 
very  pretty.  Canoes  abounded,  some  loaded  ^vith  vege- 
tables, some  with  wheat,  others  with  boys  and  girls 
returning  from  school.  Sampans  with  their  wliite  puck- 
ered sails  in  flotillas  of  a dozen  at  a time  crawled  up 
the  deep  water,  or  were  towed  tlirough  the  shallows  by 
crews  frolicking  and  shouting.  Then  the  scene  changed 
to  a broad  and  deep  river  with  a peculiar  alluvial  smell 
from  the  quantity  of  vegetable  matter  held  in  suspen- 
sion, flowing  calmly  between  densely  wooded,  bamboo 
fringed  banks,  just  high  enough  to  conceal  the  surround- 
ing country.  No  houses,  or  nearly  none,  are  to  be 
seen,  but  signs  of  a continuity  of  population  abound. 
Every  hundred  yards  almost  there  is  a narrow  path  to 
the  river  tlirough  the  jungle,  with  a canoe  moored  at 
its  foot.  Erections  like  gallows,  with  a swinging  bam- 
boo, with  a bucket  at  one  end  and  a stone  at  the  other, 
occurring  continually,  show  the  vicinity  of  households 
dependent  upon  the  river  for  their  water  suppl}".  Wher- 
ever the  banks  admitted  of  it  horses  were  being  washed 
by  having  water  poured  over  their  backs  with  a dipper, 
naked  children  were  rolling  in  the  mud,  and  cackling 
of  poultry,  human  voices,  and  sounds  of  industry  were 
ever  floating  towards  us  from  the  dense  greenery  of  the 
shores,  making  one  feel  without  seeing  that  the  margin 
was  very  populous.  Except  the  boatmen  and  myself, 
no  one  was  awake  during  the  hot,  silent  afternoon  — it 
was  dreamy  and  delicious.  Occasionally,  as  we  floated 
down,  vineyards  were  visible  with  the  vines  trained  on 
horizontal  trellises,  or  bamboo  rails  often  forty  feet  long, 
nailed  horizontally  on  cryptomeria  to  a height  of  twenty 


THE  CHUBCH  MISSION  HOUSE. 


199 


feet,  on  which  small  sheaves  of  barley  weie  placed 
astiide  to  dry  till  the  frame  was  full. 

More  forest,  more  dreams,  then  the  forest  and  the 
abundant  vegetation  altogether  disappeared,  the  river 
opened  out  among  low  lands  and  banks  of  shingle  and 
sand,  and  by  8 we  were  on  the  outskirts  of  Niigata, 
whose  low  houses,  with  rows  of  stones  upon  their  roofs, 
spread  over  a stretch  of  sand,  beyond  which  is  a sandy 
roll  with  some  clumps  of  firs.  Tea-houses  with  many 
balconies  studded  the  river-side,  and  pleasure  parties 
were  enjoying  themselves  with  geishas  and  salcS.,  but  on 
the  whole,  the  water-side  streets  are  shabby  and  tumble 
down,  and  the  landward  side  of  the  great  city  of  west- 
ern Japan  is  certainly  disappointing ; and  it  was  diffi- 
cult to  believe  it  a Treaty  Port,  for  the  sea  was  not  in 
sight,  and  there  were  no  consular  flags  flying.  We 
poled  along  one  of  the  numerous  canals,  which  are  the 
carriage  ways  for  produce  and  goods,  among  hundreds 
of  loaded  boats,  landed  in  the  heart  of  the  city,  and,  as 
the  result  of  repeated  inquiries,  eventually  reached  the 
Church  Mission  House,  an  unshaded  wooden  building 
without  verandahs,  close  to  the  Government  Buildings, 
where  I was  most  kindly  welcomed  by  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Fyson. 

The  house  is  plain,  simple,  and  inconveniently  small, 
but  doors  and  walls  are  great  luxuries,  and  you  cannot 
imagine  how  pleasing  the  ways  of  a refined  European 
household  are  after  the  eternal  babblement  and  Indeco- 
ram  of  the  Japanese.  I.  L.  B. 


200 


UNBEATEN  TRACKS  IN  JAPAN. 


ITINERARY  OF 

ROUTE  FROM  NIKE  6 

TO 

NIIGATA 

(KmuGAWA  Route.) 

Pniia  Tokiyo  to 

No.  of  boUBOB. 

m. 

C\6. 

Nikko  . 

36 

Kohiaku . . . 

6 

2 

18 

Kisagoi  . . . 

19 

1 

18 

Fujihara  . . 

46 

2 

19 

Takahara  . . 

15 

2 

10 

Ikari  . . . . 

25 

2 

Nakamiyo  . . 

10 

1 

24 

Yokokawa  . . 

20 

2 

21 

Itosawa  . . . 

38 

2 

34 

Kayashima . . 

57 

1 

4 

Tajima  . . . 

250 

1 

21 

Toyonari  . . 

120 

2 

12 

Atomi  . . . 

34 

1 

Ouchi  . . . 

27 

2 

12 

Ichikawa  . . 

7 

2 

22 

Takata  . . . 

420 

2 

11 

Range  . . . 

910 

3 

4 

Katakado  . . 

50 

1 

20 

Nosawa  . . . 

306 

3 

24 

Nojiri  . . . 

110 

1 

27 

Kurumatogd  . 

3 

9 

Hozawa  . . . 

20 

1 

14 

Torige  . . . 

21 

1 

Sakaiyama  . • 

28 

24 

Tsugawa  . . 

615 

2 

18 

Niigata  . . . 

18 

Ri.  101 

6 

&boat  247  miles 


CHRISTIAN  MISSIONS. 


201 


MISSIONS. 

Christian  Missions  — Niigata  as  a Mission  Station  — The  Two  Mis- 
sionaries— The  Eesult  of  three  Years  of  Work — Daily  Preaching 
— The  Medical  Mission  — The  Hospital — Difliculties  of  Mission- 
aries in  Japan. 

OuB  Lord’s  command,  “ Go  ye  into  all  the  world, 
and  preach  the  gospel  to  every  creature,”  was  never 
better  defined  than  by  the  Duke  of  Wellington  in  the 
famous  phrase  in  which  he  called  it  “ The  marching 
orders  ” of  the  Church.  Widely  as  we  may  differ  in 
theory  regarding  the  ultimate  destiny  of  the  heathen, 
“ all  who  profess  and  call  themselves  Christians  ” agree 
that  it  is  the  Church’s  duty  to  fulfil  Christ’s  injunction 
with  unquestioning  obedience,  leaving  the  issue  to 
Him. 

It  is  one  thing,  however,  to  take  a conventional  in- 
terest in  Foreign  Missions  at  home,  and  another  to  con- 
sider them  in  presence  of  34,000,000  of  heathen.  In 
the  latter  case,  one  is  haunted  by  a perpetual  sense  of 
shame,  first,  for  one’s  own  selfishness  and  apathjq  and 
then  for  the  selfishness  and  apathy  thousands  of  times 
multiplied,  which  are  content  to  enjoy  the  temporal 
blessings  by  which  Christianity  has  been  aceompanied, 
and  the  hope  of  “ life  and  immortality,”  unembittered 
by  the  thought  of  the  hundreds  of  millions  who  are 
living  and  dying  without  these  blessings  and  this  hope. 
In  travelling  among  the  Japanese,  I have  often  felt 
the  shadowiness  and  conventionality  of  much  of  what 


202 


UNBEATEN  TRACKS  IN  JAPAN. 


is  called  belief,  for  if  righteous  and  humane  men  and 
women  were  truly  convinced  that  these  people,  without 
Christianity,  are  doomed  to  perish  everlastingly,  it 
would  he  more  than  a few  prayers,  pounds,  and  shil- 
lings, which  would  be  spent  upon  their  conversion  ; and 
numbers  would  come  forward  at  their  own  cost  ‘‘o  save 
their  brethren  and  sisters  from  a doom,  which,  in  an 
individual  instance,  no  one  can  contemplate  without 
unspeakable  horror. 

Niigata  is  an  important  city  of  50,000  people,  the 
capital  of  the  large  and  populous  province  of  Echigo. 
It  is  the  only  Treaty  Port  on  the  west  side  of  Japan, 
and  as  such,  is  the  only  town  between  Hakodate  and 
Nagasaki  (a  distance  of  1100  miles,  with  a population 
of  many  millions,  mostly  un contaminated  hy  intercourse 
with  foreigners),  in  which  a missionary  is  allowed  to 
live,  and  Protestant  Christianity  has  taken  possession 
of  this  outpost,  with  a force  of  two  mejt — Mr.  Fyson 
and  Dr.  Palm  — who  have  no  necessary  connection  with 
each  other,  and  who,  if  they  were  not  the  good  and 
sensible  men  that  they  are,  might  consequently  present 
the  unseemly  spectacle  of  disunion,  and  rival,  or  even 
antagonistic  effort. 

Dr.  Palm,  as  a medical  man  sent  out  hy  the  Edin- 
burgh Medical  Missionary  Society,  is  naturally  without 
a colleague,  and  is  assisted  by  the  cordial  co-operation 
of  the  Japanese  doctors  ; but  it  is  an  obscure  policy  in 
the  Church  Missionary  Society  to  leave  a solitarj  mis- 
sionary in  this  isolated  region  for  three  3"ears,  to  battle 
unaided  with  the  difficulties  of  the  language  and  the 
infinite  discouragement  arising  from  the  mdifference 
and  fickleness  of  the  Japanese. 

I have  the  highest  respect  for  both  the  Niigata  mis< 
sionaries.  They  are  true,  honest,  conscientious  men, 
not  sanguine  or  enthusiastic,  but  given  up  to  the  work 


THE  TWO  MISSIONARIES. 


203 


of  making  Christianity  known  in  the  way  which  seems 
best  to  each  of  them,  because  they  believe  it  to  be  the 
work  indicated  by  the  Master.  They  are  alike  incapa- 
ble of  dressing  up  “ cases  for  reports,”  of  magnifying 
trifling  encouragements,  of  suppressing  serious  discoiir- 
agements,  or  of  responding  in  any  unrighteous  way  to 
the  pressure  brought  to  bear  upon  missionaries  by  per- 
sons at  home,  who  are  naturally  anxious  for  results. 
Dr.  Palm,  for  some  time  a childless  widower,  has  had  it 
in  his  power  to  itinerate  regularly  and  extensively 
among  the  populous  towns  and  villages  contained  with- 
in the  treaty  limits  of  twenty-five  miles.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Fyson  offer  what  is  very  important  in  this  land  of  loose 
morals,  the  example  of  a virtuous  Christian  home,  in 
which  servants  are  treated  with  consideration  and  jus- 
tice, and  in  which  a singularly  sensitive  conscientious- 
ness penetrates  even  the  smallest  details.  The  mis- 
sionaries are  accused  of  speaking  atrocious  Japanese, 
and  of  treating  the  most  sacred  themes  in  the  lowest 
coolie  vernacular ; but  Mr.  Fyson  aims  at  scholarship, 
and  Ito,  who  is  well  educated,  but  abhors  missionaries, 
says,  that  though  he  is  not  fluent,  “ the  Japanese  that 
he  has  is  really  good.”  Mrs.  Fyson  speaks  colloquial 
Japanese  readily,  and  besides  having  a Bible  class,  is 
on  very  friendly  terms  with  many  of  her  female  neigh- 
bours, who  talk  to  her  confidentially,  and  in  whom  she 
feels  a great  interest.  Her  real  regard  for  the  Japan- 
ese women,  and  the  sympathetic,  womanly  way  in 
which  she  enters  not  only  into  their  difficulties,  but 
into  their  different  notions  of  morals,  please  me  much. 

Mr.  Fyson  itinerates  at  certain  seasons  of  the  year. 
He  finds  strong  prejudices  against  Christianity  in  the 
country,  and  extreme  indifference  in  the  city.  On  his 
first  tours  great  crowds  came  to  hear  of  the  new  “ way,” 
but  that  kind  of  interest  has  diminished.  Among  the 


204 


UNBEATEN  TRACKS  IN  JAPAN. 


lower  classes  it  is  belie  vred  that  the  missiouaries  are  in 
the  pay  of  the  English  Government  with  a view  to 
ulterior  political  designs ; that  the  eyes  of  converts  are 
taken  out  immediately  after  death,  if  not  before,  to  be 
used  in  the  preparation  of  an  ointment ; that  the  mis- 
sionaiies  have  the  power  to  spirit  away  money  which 
has  been  carefully  concealed,  and  the  like  ! 

The  local  authorities  of  Echigo  make  no  actual  oppo- 
sition to  the  promulgation  of  Christianity,  and  until 
lately  the  rural  priests  were  indifferent  to  it.  On  one 
occasion  a Shinto  priest  gave  Mr.  Fyson  leave  to  preach 
in  a place  belonging  to  him,  with  the  remark  that  the 
country  was  “ sunk  in  Buddhism,”  and  on  another  a 
Buddhist  priest  allowed  him  to  preach  from  the  steps 
of  a temple.  In  Niigata  the  Buddhist  priests  think  it 
desirable  to  assail  the  new  “ way,”  and  the  local  news- 
paper has  opened  its  columns  for  their  attacks,  and.  for 
replies  by  Christian  converts.  There  are  many  persons 
who  have  learned  enough  about  Christianity  to  admit 
its  reasonableness  and  its  superiorit}^  to  other  religions 
in  point  of  morality,  but  who  are  so  indifferent  to  aU 
religion  that  they  go  no  farther.  Of  those  who  come  to 
the  open  preaching  every  Sunday  afternoon  in  a build- 
ing attached  to  the  mission-house,  some  go  so  far  as  to 
make  inquiries  concerning  Christianity ; but  it  often 
turns  out  that  they  have  been  actuated  by  some  mer- 
cenary motive.  As  “ the  outward  and  visible  sign  ” of 
throe  years  of  earnest  work  Mr.  Fyson  has  baptized 
seven  persons,  with  five  of  whom  I received,  the  com- 
munion according  to  the  English  form.  He  has  a very 
energetic  and  intelligent  native  catechist  who  itinerates 
and  collects  considerable  audiences.  Difficulties  are 
often  raised  regarding  the  hire  of  rooms  for  Christian 
preaching.  It  is  not  “ correct  ” for  a missionary  to 
preach  in  the  open  air.  It  places  him  on  a level 


MEDICAL  MISSION  WOBR. 


205 


with  “ monkey-players,”  jugglers,  and  other  vagabond 
characters  ! 

Of  late  the  Buddhists  have  established  daily  preach- 
ings in  one  or  two  of  the  Niigata  temples,  and  the 
preachers,  who  are  chosen  for  their  oratorical  gifts, 
attract  large  audiences,  composed  chiefly  of  women, 
and  exclusively  of  persons  of  the  lower  classes.  Prac- 
tically the  difficulty  in  the  way  of  Christianity  is  the 
general  indifference  to  all  religion.  The  “religious 
faculty  ” appears  to  be  lost  out  of  the  Japanese  nature. 
It  is  a complete  mistake  to  suppose  that  because  the  old 
faiths  are  decaying  Japan  is  ripe  for  the  introduction 
of  a new  one.  The  Empire  has  embarked  on  a career 
of  material  progress.  Everything  which  tends  in  that 
direction  is  eagerly  appropriated  and  assimilated,  that 
which  does  not  is  rejected  as  of  no  account.  I asked 
a highly-educated  and  thoughtful  young  Japanese,  who 
had  just  returned  from  a course  of  some  years  of  scien- 
tific study  in  America,  if  he  had  ever  studied  religion, 
and  his  answer  embodies  at  least  the  view  of  the  edu- 
cated classes,  “ iVb,  I had  no  time  for  anything  that  had 
no  practical  hearing.'" 

The  main  object  of  my  journey  to  Niigata  was  to 
learn  something  of  the  Medical  Mission  work  done  by 
Dr.  Palm.  This  work  seeks  the  worker,  throngs  him, 
crowds  upon  him.  It  goes  through  endless  useful  rami- 
fications, spreads  scientific  truth  in  the  treatment  of  dis- 
eases, removes  prejudice  against  the  practice  of  surgery 
and  foreign  drugs,  dethrones  superstitious  quackery, 
introduces  common  sense  and  an  improved  hygiene,  in- 
vites intelligent  co-operation  in  its  temporal  part,  and 
last,  but  not  least,  smooths  the  way  for  the  gospel  of 
the  Good  Physician  by  which  it  is  always  accompanied. 
These  are  the  unanswerable  pleas  for  Medical  Missions 
in  Japan. 


206 


UNBA'ATEN  TRACKS  IN  JAPAN. 


In  Dr.  Palm  Medical  Missions  have  a very  valuable 
agent.  He  is  a well-equipped  medical  man,  a lover  and 
student  of  his  profession,  as  well  as  a missionary.  He 
is  judicious,  solid,  and  conscientious  in  all  his  work ; 
there  is  no  “ scamping  ” in  his  dispensary  or  hospital, 
and  when  he  has  trained  his  assistants  to  do  anything 
as  well  as  he  can  do  it  himself,  he  trusts  it  to  them 
under  his  supervision.  He  has  gained  the  cordial  good 
will  of  a large  body  of  Japanese  doctors,  who  co-oper- 
ate with  him  in  the  towns  and  villages,  and  are  intro- 
ducing the  most  approved  methods  of  European  treat- 
ment under  his  auspices.  He  is  an  earnest  and  patient 
student  of  the  language,  both  in  its  colloquial  and 
literary  forms.  He  has  studied  the  Japanese  character 
closely.  He  is  not  enthusiastic,  and  gives  at  least  their 
full  weight  to  the  diflSculties  which  lie  in  the  way  of 
Christianity,  avoiding  all  hopeful  forecasts  of  its  future, 
content  to  do  the  work  which  demands  his  whole  time 
and  ability.  He  is  an  upright,  honourable  man,  and  as 
such,  has  gained  general  respect.  He  has  baptized 
thirty-one  converts  after  periods  of  severe  probation, 
and  the  general  conduct  of  the  members  of  this  infant 
church  is  without  reproach.  Mr.  Oshikawa,  his  mis- 
sionary assistant,  is  a man  of  much  talent  and  energy, 
and  a very  able  preacher.  His  whole  heart  is  in  Chris- 
tian work,  and  he  itinerates  very  extensively.  The 
dispensary  assistant  is  well  trained  and  careful. 

Recently  the  doctor  of  Suibara,  one  of  the  earliest 
village  stations,  has  been  baptized.  He  is  a man  of 
scholarship,  a competent  medical  practitioner,  and  for  a 
year  and  a half  has  co-operated  with  Dr.  Palm  at  Sui- 
bara, undertaking  all  the  expenses  of  the  preaching 
place,  and  heartily  furthering  both  the  medical  and 
evangelistic  work.  Still  more  recently  another  doctor 
from  the  island  of  Sado  was  baptized.  There  cannot 


MEDICAL  MISSION  WORK. 


207 


be  better  evidence  of  the  esteem  in  which  Dr.  PUm  is 
held,  than  the  circumstance  that  this  man  was  in  Niigata 
by  an  arrangement  lately  made  with  Dr.  Palm  by  the 
Government,  for  teaching  the  treatment  of  eye  diseases 
to . the  native  practitioners  in  different  parts  of  the 
province.  He  was  previously  disposed  towards  Chris* 
tianity  by  some  remarks  in  a medical  book  in  Chinese, 
written  by  Dr.  Dudgeon,  and  the  daily  addresses  at  the 
dispensary  made  liim  decide  to  embrace  Christianity. 

The  native  doctors  have  such  a high  value  for  “ The 
English  Doctor  ” that  if  it  were  not  for  passport  restric* 
tions,  he  would  constantly  be  called  into  consultation 
by  them  beyond  treaty  limits.  Amusing  things  fre- 
quently occur  in  the  work.  Lately,  at  the  earnest 
request  of  the  relatives  of  a patient,  who  were  fully 
aware  of  the  risk.  Dr.  Palm  performed  a very  serious 
operation,  under  very  unfavourable  and  difficult  circum- 
stances, and  the  patient  died.  The  Japanese  doctor, 
who  was  of  the  old  Chinese  School  of  Medicine  (a 
school  of  consummate  quackery  and  superstition),  was 
so  impressed  with  the  wonders  of  English  surgery  that, 
though  the  operation  was  unsuccessful,  he  abandoned 
his  system  and  sent  away  his  three  medical  pupils, 
telling  them  that  he  had  decided  to  learn  European 
medicine,  and  that  they  must  do  the  same ! 

In  many  cases  the  requests  for  Dr.  Palm’s  regular 
services  come  from  Japanese  doctors,  who,  under  these 
circumstances,  arrange  to  secure  a preaching  place.  At 
the  town  of  Nakajo  six  young  doctors  have  established 
a dispensary,  which,  at  their  request,  is  visited  by  Dr. 
Palm  once  a month.  At  the  large  town  of  Nagaoka, 
beyond  treaty  limits,  there  is  a Government  hospital, 
with  three  native  doctors  and  a number  of  pupils,  and 
so  anxious  were  these  for  English  skill  that  they  pro- 
cured a passport  and  gave  Dr.  Palm  flO  for  his  expenses 


208 


UNBEATEN  TBACKS  IN  JAPAN. 


on  each  visit.  There,  and  in  every  place,  preacliing 
accompanies  healing. 

In  Buc'dhist  places  dislike  of  the  foreigner,  his  reli- 
gion, and  his  medicine,  are  often  equally  strong ; while 
in  Shinto  places  the  two  first  are  matters  of  indiffer- 
ence, and  the  last  is  eagerly  sought.  Just  at  the  time 
of  my  visit  the  local  Government  feebly  attempted  to 
put  a stop  to  evangelism  hi  country  places,  and  the 
police  gave  notice  that  in  future  no  rooms  were  to  be 
let  for  the  purposes  of  preaching,  stating  that  a similar 
notice  had  been  served  on  Dr.  Palm.  This  was  never 
done,  however,  and  the  matter  dropped.  The  police 
also  interfered  with  Mr.  Fyson’s  native  evangelist  by 
asking  him  to  produce  his  license  to  preach,  but  there 
is  no  ordinance  on  this  subject,  and  as  he,  like  Dr.  Palm, 
showed  the  inclination  to  maintain  his  right,  the  thing 
was  thereafter  let  alone. 

Dr.  Palm  lives  in  a small  Japanese  house  in  the 
centre  of  the  city,  near  the  dispensary  and  the  recently 
opened  hospital,  both  of  which  I visited.  At  the  dis- 
pensary between  sixty  and  seventy  patients  are  treated 
daily.  They  were  clean  and  very  well  dressed.  On 
the  day  of  my  visit  fully  half  of  them  were  suffering 
from  diseases  of  the  eyes.  On  arriving  at  the  rooms 
before  9 a.m.,  each  receives  a ticket  giving  the  order  in 
which  his  case  is  to  be  attended  to.  An  address  on 
Christianity  is  always  given,  but  some  who  have  re- 
ceived tickets  go  away,  only  returning  when  they  think 
that  their  turn  has  arrived,  and  Dr.  Palm  does  not 
think  it  wise  to  bring  undue  pressure  to  bear  upon 
them  with  regard  to  hearing  the  gospel.  The  people 
seem  very  independent,  and  insist  on  paying  for  theu 
medicines,  except  in  the  case  of  a few  who  are  quite 
destitute.  The  medicines  are  made  up  by  Japanese 
assistants. 


THE  HOSPITAL. 


209 


Six  weeks  before  my  visit  Dr.  Palm  rented  a house 
for  a hospital  for  surgical  cases.  There  was  one  severe 
case  of  cancer,  and  the  rest  were  cases  of  spinal  ab- 
scesses and  hip-joint  diseases.  He  has  provided  beds 
for  the  patients,  to  render  nursing  and  dressing  easier, 
but  there  is  at  first  a great  objection  to  using  them. 
The  people  are  frightened,  and  think  that  they  shall  fall 
off  on  the  floor.  The  nursing,  as  is  to  be  expected  in 
Japan,  is  the  weak  point.  It  is  undertaken  by  a re 
spectable  man  and  his  wife,  but  a lady  surgical  nurse 
would  be  invaluable.  The  rooms  are  tolerably  venti- 
lated, and  as  the  antiseptic  treatment  is  used.  Dr.  Palm 
does  not  dread  gangrene,  but  they  are  dark  and  unsuit- 
able for  operations  — so  dark,  indeed,  that  Dr.  Palm 
was  obliged  to  bring  one  severe  case  of  cancer  to  a 
room  opening  from  his  own  sitting-room.  The  hospital 
patients  pay  10  sen  a day,  i.e.  nearly  3s.  per  week.  The 
dispensary  patients  pay  so  liberally  that,  including 
native  contributions,  the  hospital  and  dispensary  are 
nearly  self-supporting.  The  hospital  accommodates 
twelve  patients,  and  its  expenses  during  last  year  were 
£319,  and  the  receipts  from  patients  £316  ! 

The  rapid  increase  of  Medical  Missionary  work  is 
most  surprising.  The  work  began  four  years  ago,  and 
had  to  contend  not  only  with  prejudices  against  the 
Christianity  with  which  it  is  nobly  associated,  but 
against  “ foreign  drugs,”  and  specially  against  surgical 
operations.  In  the  first  year  the  number  of  patients 
was  under  500.  Last  year  it  exceeded  5000,  and  1500 
of  these  were  treated  in  thirteen  country  stations,  iu 
co-operation  with  native  doctors,  who  supply  the  medi- 
cines under  Dr.  Palm’s  instructions,  and  obtain  clinical 
leaching  from  him.  Last  year  the  confidence  of  the 
people  had  been  so  far  won,  that  174  submitted  to  sur- 
gical operations,  and  some  of  these  of  a serious  kind 


210 


UNBEATEN  TRACES  IN  JAPAN. 


were  undertaken  in  the  country,  and  left  in  charge 
of  Japanese  doctors,  who  treated  them  antiseptically. 
Dr.  Palm  regards  the  younger  doctors  as  intelligent 
and  fairly  educated,  and  anxious  to  improve  in  their 
profession.  Last  year  a number  of  them  formed  a 
Society  for  Mutual  Improvement  and  the  discussion 
of  medical  topics,  and  mvited  Dr.  Palm  to  become  its 
president  and  give  them  a lecture  once  a month.  He  is 
now  doing  so,  and  as  some  of  them  are  acquainted  with 
English,  he  furnishes  them  with  the  British  Medical 
Journal.,  from  which  suitable  translations  are  made. 

In  connection  with  the  work  of  healing,  invaluable 
per  se,  the  gospel  has  permeated  the  very  populous  dis- 
trict within  treaty  limits.  Indifference,  contempt,  and 
hatred  prevail,  yet  we  may  hope  that  for  seed  so  widely 
sown  the  two  missionaries  at  Niigata  may  yet  bring 
home  the  sheaves  with  rejoicing  from  these  unpromis- 
ing harvest  fields. 

Much  of  the  sympathy  given  to  missionaries  at  home 
is  altogether  misplaced.  In  Japan  they  are  provided 
with  comfortable  houses  and  sufficient  mcomes,  and 
even  the  isolation  of  Niigata,  as  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Fyson 
would  testify,  is  not  felt  by  people  who  have  work  to 
do.  The  plirase  “ taking  theu’  lives  in  their  hands  ” has 
no  significance,  and  they  incur  no  perils  either  from 
people  or  climate.  On  other  grounds,  missionaries 
placed  in  this  and  similar  isolated  positions  deserve  s 
sympathy  which  they  rarely  receive.  A medical  mis- 
sionary has  at  least  the  exercise  of  his  profession,  which 
if  he  be  a man  of  the  right  sort  is  an  absorbing  inter- 
est, and  liis  work  seeks  him  out  sometimes  even  before 
he  is  ready  for  it.  A simply  evangelistic  missionary, 
on  the  contrary,  has  to  seek  and  make  Ms  work,  and 
to  deal  with  an  indifferent  and  inert  mass. 

Both  have  to  acquire  by  severe  study  something  of  a 


MISSIONARY  TRIALS. 


2ia 

most  difficult  and  uncertain  language  before  entering 
upon  teaching,  and  even  when  they  have  made  some 
progress  they  must  long  remain  in  doubt  as  to  whether 
the  words  they  use  convey  their  meaning.  For  the 
solitary  evangelistic  missionary  fresh  difficulties  arise 
when  inquirers  and  candidates  for  baptism  begin  to 
gather  around  him.  On  his  unaided  responsibility  he 
has  to  try  to  discern  character,  motives,  and  general 
fitness  for  admission  into  a church  whose  purity  it  is 
essential  to  conserve.  He  must  find  out  a man’s  per- 
sonal circumstances,  his  history,  past  and  present,  and 
do  this  discreetly  and  often  by  wading  through  the 
mire  of  prevarication  and  misrepresentation.  Ques- 
tions arise  whether  a man  is  to  be  admitted  who  is 
unable  to  relinquish  his  work  on  the  Lord’s  Day,  or 
who  gets  Iris  living  by  means  which  we  deem  ques- 
tionable, and  perhaps,  when  everything  appears  satis- 
factory, it  leaks  out  that  he  has  more  wives  than  one, 
or  something  equally  unsuitable.  Each  case  stands  by 
itself  and  is  involved  in  various  complications,  and 
must  be  judged  on  its  merits  and  without  assistance  in 
a country  in  which  the  attainment  of  truth  on  any  sub- 
ject is  a matter  of  special  difficulty.  I.  L.  B. 

Note.  — Since  the  above  notes  were  written  the  cholera  has  visited 
Niigata,  and  Mission  work  for  the  time  has  suffered  considerably,  as  the 
ignorant  people  were  readily  made  to  believe  that  the  Christians  had 
poisoned  the  wells.  Peasants  armed  with  spears  were  on  the  watch  for 
Christian  missionaries,  and  Dr.  Palm’s  preaching-place  in  Nakajo  was 
demolished  in  a riot.  A very  strong  spirit  of  dislike,  both  to  foreigners 
and  their  religion,  manifested  itself  throughout  the  Province  of  Echigo 
but  things  are  gradually  resuming  their  wonted  course. 


1.  li.  B. 


212 


UNBEATEN  TBACKH  IN  JAPAN. 


BUDDHISM. 

Temple  Street  — Interior  of  a Temple  — Eesemblances  between 
Buddhist  and  Roman  Ritual  — A Popular  Preacher  — Nirvana  — 
Gentleness  of  Buddhism  — Japanese  distaste  to  “Eternal  Life” 
— A new  Obstacle  in  the  way  of  Christianity. 

NnoATA,  July  6. 

There  is  a street  here  called  Teramachi,  or  Temple 
Street.  On  one  side,  for  nearly  its  whole  length,  there 
are  Buddhist  temples,  temple  grounds,  and  priests’ 
houses,  the  other  side  is  mainly  composed  of  joroyas. 
These  temples  are  mostly  handsome  and  spacious.  The 
panelled  ceilings  and  the  rows  of  pillars  which  support 
them  are  of  the  finely  grained  and  richly  coloured 
wood  of  the  Retinospora  obtusa.  In  all  nearly  one  half 
of  the  area  is  railed  off  from  the  “ laity.”  In  each  the 
high  altar  is  magnificent,  and  altogether  free  from 
frippery  and  meretricious  ornament.  The  altar-pieces 
proper  consist  of  an  incense  burner  with  a perforated 
cover  in  the  centre,  flower  vases  on  either  side,  and 
candelabra  placed  to  the  right  and  left  of  the  flower 
vases,  all  of  bronze,  and  often  designed  after  ancient 
Chinese  patterns,  the  originals  of  Avhich  are  said  to 
have  travelled  from  India  with  the  early  Buddhist 
propagandists.  On  the  whole,  the  Niigata  temples 
are  ecclesiastical  and  devotional-looking,  and  if  a few 
of  the  Buddhist  insignia  were  removed,  they  might  be 
used  for  Christian  worship  without  alteration.  Their 
brass  vessels  are  very  beautiful,  and  their  chalices, 


ECCLESIASTICAL  ORNAMENTS. 


213 


flagons,  lamps,  and  candlesticks  are  classical  in  form 
and  severely  simple. 

On  the  altars  are  draped,  standing  figures  of  Buddhi 
with  glories  round  their  heads,  in  gorgeous  shrines, 
looking  like  Madonnas,  and  below  them  the  altar- 
pieces  previously  mentioned,  fresh  flowers  in  the  vases, 


BUDDHIST  PRIESTS. 


and  the  curling  smoke  of  incense  diffusing  a dreamy  fra- 
gp’ance.  Antique  lamps,  burning  low  and  never  extin- 
guished, hang  in  front  of  the  shrine.  The  fumes  of 
incense,  the  tinkling  of  small  bells,  lighted  candles  on 
the  high  altar,  the  shaven  crowns  and  flowing  vestments 
of  the  priests,  the  prostrations  and  processions,  the 


214 


UNBEATEN  TRACKS  IN  JAPAN. 


chanting  of  litanies  in  an  unknown  tongue,  the  “ chan 
cel  rail,”  the  dim  light,  and  many  other  resemblances, 
both  slight  and  important,  recall  the  gorgeousuess  of  the 
Roman  ritual.  From  whence  came  the  patterns  of  all 
these  shrines,  lamps,  candlesticks,  and  brazen  vessels, 
which  Buddhist,  Ritualist,  Greek,  and  Romanist  alike 
use,  the  tongues  of  flame  in  the  temples,  the  holy 
water,  the  garments  of  the  officiating  priests,  the  can- 
dles and  flowers  on  the  altar,  the  white  robes  of  the 
pilgrims,  and  all  the  other  coincident  affinities  which 
daily  startle  one  ? Even  the  shops  of  the  shrine-makers 
look  like  “ ecclesiastical  decoration  ” shops  in  Oxford 
Street. 

Nor  was  the  likeness  lessened  by  the  vast  throng  of 
worshippers  telling  their  beads  on  their  brown  rosaries 
as  they  murmured  their  prayers,  squatting  on  the  mat- 
ted floor  of  the  great  temple  into  wliich  we  went  to 
hear  the  afternoon  preaching.  It  was  a very  striking 
sight.  The  priestly  orator  sat  on  a square  erection 
covered  with  violet  silk,  just  within  the  rail.  He  wore 
a cassock  of  brocaded  amber  satin,  a violet  stole  and 
hood,  and  a chasuble  of  white  silk  gauze,  and  held  a 
rosary  in  his  hand.  A portion  of  the  Buddliist  Scrip- 
tures lay  on  his  lap,  and  from  a text  in  this  he  preached 
with  indescribable  vehemence  and  much  gesticulation, 
in  a most  singular,  high-pitched  key,  painfid  to  listen 
to.  His  subject  was  future  punishment,  i.e.  the  tortures 
of  the  Buddhist  hells.  When  he  came  to  the  conclu- 
sion of  the  first  part,  in  winch  he  worked  liimself  into 
the  semblance  of  a maniac,  he  paused  abruptly  and  re- 
peated the  words,  “ Namu  amida  Butsu,”  and  all  the 
congregation,  slightly  raising  the  hands  on  which  the 
rosaries  were  wound,  answ'ered  with  the  roar  of  a 
mighty  response,  “ Eternal  Buddha,  save.”  Then  he 
retired  behind  the  altar,  and  the  adult  worshippers, 


GENTLENESS  OF  BUDDHISM. 


216 


relaxing  their  fixed  attitudes,  lighted  their  pipes  and 
talked,  and  the  children  crawled  about  in  the  crowd. 
Then  the  priest,  bowing  as  he  passed  the  altar,  took  his 
place  again  on  the  rostrum,  but  before  he  began  part 
two  of  his  discourse,  the  prayer  “Eternal  Buddha, 
save  ” murmured  low  through  the  temple  like  the 
sound  of  many  waters,  and  so  for  two  hours  the  service 
was  continued.  Outside,  under  a canopy,  the  holy 
water  stands,  and  on  the  steps  leading  to  the  entrance 
are  ranged  in  rows  the  clogs  and  umbrellas  of  the  wor- 
shippers. In  the  temple,  the  minister  of  a faith  which 
is  losing  its  hold  upon  the  people,  as  at  home  was  ex- 
horting a congregation  to  follow  the  moral  precepts  of 
its  founder,  and  emphasising  his  exhortations  by  por- 
traying the  punishments  which  await  the  guilty,  — tor- 
tures and  horrors  which  the  pen  cannot  describe,  — 
and  the  transmigration  of  the  impure  soul  through  the 
bodies  of  hateful  beasts.  Is  there  a household  or  a 
heart  purer  or  better  to-night,  I wonder,  for  the  tre- 
mendously energetic  sermon  of  the  popular  preacher  ? 

In  the  grounds  of  that  temple  there  is  a very  fine 
bronze  figure  of  Buddha  seated  in  the  usual  attitude 
upon  a lotus  blossom.  The  Buddhist  who,  by  purity 
and  righteousness,  escapes  the  tortures  of  hell,  reaches 
the  state  of  Nirvana  in  which  he  is  represented.  He  is 
not  sleeping,  he  is  not  waking,  he  is  not  acting,  he  is 
not  thinking,  his  consciousness  is  doubtful  — he  exists  — 
that  is  all  — his  work  is  done  — a hazy  beatitude,  a ne- 
gation remain.  This  is  the  best  future  to  which  the 
devout  Buddhist  can  aspire.  The  greatest  evil  is  life. 
The  greatest  good  is  Nirvana,  or  death  in  life. 

I never  visit  a Buddhist  temple  without  giving 
Buddhism  full  credit  for  having  taught  the  lessons  of 
mercy,  gentleness,  and  reverence  for  life,  to  an  Asiatic 
people.  No  victims  have  ever  smoked  upon  its  altars, 


216 


UNBEATEN  TRACKS  IN  JAPAN. 


its  shady  groves  have  never  been  scenes  of  cruelty  and 
horror,  and  it  has  no  Moloch  to  which  children  have 
ever  passed  through  the  fire.  Such  has  been  the  rev- 
erence for  life  in  all  its  forms  which  Buddhism  has  in 
culcated,  that  the  theological,  and  even  the  Scriptural 
phraseology  used  concerning  the  atonement  of  Christ, 
are  undoubtedly  in  the  first  instance  abhorrent  to  the 
Japanese  mind,  and  the  whole  Levitical  system  of  sac- 
rifice, and  such  statements  as  “Without  shedding  oi 
blood  there  is  no  remission,”  are  doubtless  calculated 
to  repel  inquirers  into  the  Christian  faith.  The  Japan- 
ese have  no  notion  of  sin,  and  much  time  must  elapse 
before  Christian  teaching  can  revolutionise  their  ideas 
on  that  and  other  subjects. 

Again,  the  notion  of  “ eternal  life,”  which  thrilled  the 
Hawaiians  with  a new  joy,  is  more  likely  to  suggest  a 
curse  than  a “gift  of  God.”  ShintQism  has  no  teach- 
ings concerning  a future.  Buddhism  promises  to  the 
pure  total  nonentity,  or  the  annihilation  of  conscious- 
ness, or  a measure  of  conscious  personality  in  absorption 
into  the  holy  Sakya.  Distaste  for  prolonged  existence 
is  essentially  Oriental ; weariness  of  hfe,  even  in  the 
midst  of  its  enjoyments,  oppresses  the  Asiatic,  and  to 
the  ignorant  peasantry  of  Japan  eternal  life  presents 
itself  under  the  popular  form  of  the  Buddhist  doctrine 
of  metempsychosis,  as  almost  endless  birth  and  death, 
with  new  sufferings  under  each  new  form,  sinking  into 
lower  and  lower  hells,  or  painfully  rising  to  higher  and 
higher  heavens,  to  the  blessed  doom  of  impersonality. 
“Eternal  life”  then  represents  an  almost  endless  chain 
whose  links  are  successive  existences.  The  common 
Japanese  proverb,  “If  you  hate  a man  let  him  live,” 
epitomises  the  Japanese  idea  of  the  unsatisfactorinesa 
of  life. 

Another  obstacle  in  the  way  of  Christianity  (and  al! 


OBSTACLE  TO  CHRISTIANITY. 


217 


these  are  apart  from  the  deeply  rooted  and  genuine  dis- 
like to  the  purity  of  its  morality)  is  that  the  Japanese 
Students  who  are  educated  by  their  Government  in 
England  or  America  return  and  tell  their  countrymen 
that  no  one  of  any  intelligence  or  position  now  believes 
in  Christianity,  and  that  it  is  an  exploded  system,  only 
propped  up  by  the  clergy  and  the  uneducated  masses. 
Yet,  for  all  this  and  much  more,  and  in  spite  of  the  very 
slow  progress  which  Christianity  has  made,  any  one  who 
attempts  to  forecast  the  future  of  Japan  without  any 
reference  to  it,  is  making  a very  serious  mistake. 

I.  L.  B. 


218 


UNBEATEN  TRACKS  IN  JAPAN. 


NIIGATA. 

A.NominabIe  Weather  — Insect  Pests  — Absence  of  Foreign  Trade  — 
A refractory  Eiver  — Progress  — The  Japanese  City  — Watei 
Highways — Niigata  Gardens  — Ruth  Fyson  — The  Winter  Climate 
— A Population  in  Wadding. 

Niigata,  July  9 

I HAVE  spent  over  a week  Ln  Niigata,  and  leave  it 
regretfully  to-morrow,  rather  for  the  sake  of  the  friends 
I liave  made  than  for  its  own  interests.  I never  expe- 
rienced a week  of  more  abominable  weather.  The  sun 
has  been  seen  just  once,  the  mountains,  which  are  thir- 
ty miles  off,  not  at  all.  The  clouds  are  a brownish 
grey,  the  air  moist  and  motionless,  and  the  mercury  has 
varied  from  82°  in  the  day  to  80°  at  night.  Tlie  house- 
hold is  afflicted  with  lassitude  and  loss  of  appetite. 
Evening  does  not  bring  coolness,  but  myriads  of  flying, 
creeping,  jmnping,  running  creatures,  all  with  powei 
to  hurt,  which  replace  the  day  mosquitoes,  villains 
with  spotted  legs,  which  bite  and  poison  one  without 
the  warning  hum.  The  night  mosquitoes  are  legion. 
There  are  no  walks  except  in  the  streets  and  the  public 
gardens,  for  Niigata  is  built  on  a sand  spit,  hot  and 
bare.  Neither  can  you  get  a view  of  it  without  climb- 
ing to  the  top  of  a wooden  look-out. 

Niigata  is  a Treat}-^  Port  without  foreign  trade,  and 
almost  without  foreign  residents.  Not  a foreign  ship 
visited  the  port  either  last  year  or  this.  There  are 
only  two  foreign  firms,  and  these  are  German,  and  only 
eighteen  foreigners,  of  which  number  except  the  mis- 


A REFRACTORY  RIVER. 


219 


sionaries,  nearly  all  are  in  Government  employment. 
Its  river,  the  Shinano,  is  the  largest  in  Japan,  and  it 
and  its  affluents  bring  down  a prodigious  volume  ol 
water.  But  Japanese  rivers  are  much  choked  with 
sand  and  shingle  washed  down  from  the  mountains.  In 
all  that  I have  seen,  except  those  which  are  physically 
limited  by  walls  of  hard  rock,  a river  bed  is  a waste  of 
sand,  boulders,  and  shingle,  through  the  middle  of 
winch,  among  sand-banks  and  shallows,  the  river  prop- 
er takes  its  devious  course.  In  the  freshets  which  occiir 
to  a greater  or  less  extent  every  year,  enormous  vol- 
umes of  water  pour  over  these  wastes,  carrying  sand 
and  detritus  down  to  the  mouths,  which  are  all  ob- 
structed by  bars.  Of  these  rivers  the  Shinano,  being 
the  biggest,  is  the  most  refractory,  and  has  piled  up  a 
bar  at  its  entrance  through  which  there  is  only  a pas- 
sage seven  feet  deep,  which  is  perpetually  shallowing. 
The  minds  of  engineers  are  much  exercised  upon  the 
Shinano,  and  the  Government  is  most  anxious  to  deep- 
en the  channel  and  give  Western  Japan  what  it  has  not 
— a harbour ; but  the  expense  of  the  necessary  opera- 
tion is  enormous,  and  in  the  meantime  a limited  ocean 
traffic  is  carried  on  by  junks  and  by  a few  small  Japan- 
ese steamers  which  call  outside.^  There  is  a British 
Vice  Consulate,  but  except  as  a step  few  would  accept 
such  a dreary  post  or  outpost. 

But  Niigata  is  a handsome,  prosperous  city  of  50,000 
inhabitants,  the  capital  of  the  wealthy  province  of 
Echigo,  with  a population  of  one  and  a half  millions, 

1 By  one  of  these,  not  fitted  up  for  passengers,  I have  sent  one  of  my 
baskets  to  Hakodate,  and  by  doing  so  have  come  upon  one  of  the  vexa- 
tious restrictions  by  which  foreigners  are  harassed.  It  would  seem  nat- 
ural to  allow  a foreigner  to  send  his  personal  luggage  from  one  Treaty 
Port  to  another  without  going  through  a number  of  formalities  which 
render  it  nearly  impossible,  but  it  was  only  managed  by  Tto  sending 
mine  in  his  own  name  to  a Japanese  at  Hakodate',  with  whom  he  it 
slightly  acquainted. 


220 


UNBEATEN  TRACKS  IN  JAPAN. 


and  is  the  seat  of  the  Kenrei.,  or  provincial  governor, 
of  the  chief  law  courts,  of  fine  schools,  a hospital,  and 
barracks.  It  is  curious  to  find  in  such  an  excluded 
town  a school  deserving  the  designation  of  a college, 
as  it  includes  intermediate,  primary,  and  normal  schools, 
an  English  school  with  150  pupils,  organised  by  Eng- 
lisli  and  American  teachers,  an  engineering  school,  a 
geological  museum,  splendidly  equipped  laboratories, 
and  the  newest  and  most  approved  scientific  and  educa- 
tional apparatus.  The  Government  Buildings,  which 
are  grouped  near  ]\Ir.  Fyson’s,  are  of  painted  white 
wood,  and  are  imposing  from  their  size  and  their  innu- 
merable glass  windows.  There  is  a large  hospital  ’ 
arranged  by  a European  doctor,  with  a medical  school 
attached,  and  it,  the  Kencho.,  the  Saibancho,  or  Court 
House,  the  schools,  the  barracks,  and  a large  bank, 
which  is  rivalling  them  all,  have  a go-ahead,  European- 
ised look,  bold,  staring,  and  tasteless.  There  are  large 
public  gardens,  very  well  laid  out,  and  with  finely  grav- 
elled walks.  There  are  300  street  lamps  which  burn 
the  mineral  oil  of  the  district. 

Yet,  because  the  riotous  Shinano  persisteutl}"  bars 
it  out  from  the  sea,  its  natui’al  highwa3s  the  capital  of 
one  of  the  richest  provinces  of  Japan  is  “left  out  in 
the  cold,”  and  the  province  itself,  which  3'ields  not  only 
rice,  silk,  tea,  hemp,  ninjin,  and  indigo,  in  large  quanti- 
ties, but  gold,  copper,  coal,  and  petroleum,  has  to  send 
most  of  its  produce  to  Yedo  across  ranges  of  mountains, 
on  the  backs  of  pack-horses,  by  roads  scarcely  less  in- 
famous than  the  one  by  which  I came. 

1 This  hospital  is  large  and  well  ventilated,  hut  has  not  as  yet  suc- 
ceeded in  attracting  many  in-patients  ; out-patients,  specially  sufferers 
from  ophthalmia,  are  very  numerous.  The  Japanese  chief  physician 
regards  the  great  prevalence  of  the  malady  in  this  neighbourhood  as  the 
result  of  damp,  the  reflection  of  the  sun’s  rays  from  sand  and  snow,  in- 
adequate ventilation,  and  charcoal  fumes. 


WATER  HIGHWAYS. 


221 


The  K’iigata  of  the  Government,  with  its  signs  ol 
progress  in  a western  direction,  is  quite  unattractive- 
looking  as  compared  with  the  genuine  Japanese  Niigata, 
which  is  the  neatest,  cleanest,  and  most  comfortable- 
looking town  I have  yet  seen,  and  altogether  free  from 
the  jostlement  of  a foreign  settlement.  It  is  renowned 
for  the  beautiful  tea-houses  which  attract  visitors  from 
distant  places,  and  for  the  excellence  of  the  theatres, 
and  is  the  centre  of  the  recreation  and  pleasure  of  a 
large  district.  It  is  so  beautifully  clean  that,  as  at 
Nikk6,  I should  feel  reluctant  to  Avalk  upon  its  well- 
swept  streets  in  muddy  boots.  It  would  afford  a good 
lesson  to  the  Edinburgh  authorities,  for  every  vagrant 
bit  of  straw,  stick,  or  paper,  is  at  once  pounced  upon 
and  removed,  and  no  rubbish  may  stand  for  an  instant 
in  its  streets  except  in  a covered  box  or  bucket.  It  is 
correctly  laid  out  in  square  divisions,  formed  by  five 
streets  over  a mile  long,  crossed  by  very  numerous 
short  ones,  and  is  intersected  by  canals,  which  are  its 
real  roadways.  I have  not  seen  a pack-horse  in  the 
streets ; everything  comes  in  by  boat,  and  there  are  few 
houses  in  the  city  which  cannot  have  their  goods  deliv- 
ered by  canal  very  near  to  their  doors.  These  water- 
ways are  busy  all  day,  but  in  the  early  morning,  when 
the  boats  come  in  loaded  with  the  vegetables  without 
which  the  people  could  not  exist  for  a day,  the  bustle 
is  indescribable.  The  cucumber  boats  just  now  are  the 
great  sight.  The  canals  are  usually  in  the  middle  of 
the  streets,  and  have  fairly  broad  roadways  on  both 
sides.  They  are  much  below  the  street  level,  and  their 
nearly  perpendicular  banks  are  neatly  faced  with  wood, 
broken  at  intervals  by  flights  of  stairs.  They  are  bor- 
dered by  trees,  among  which  are  many  weeping  wil- 
lows ; and  as  the  river  water  runs  through  them,  keep- 
ing them  quite  sweet,  and  they  are  crossed  at  short 


222 


UNBEATEN  TRACKS  IN  JAPAN. 


intervals  by  light  bridges,  they  form  a very  attractive 
feature  of  Niigata. 

The  houses  have  very  steep  roofs  of  shingle,  weighted 
with  stones,  and  as  they  are  of  very  irregular  heights, 
and  all  turn  the  steep  gables  of  the  upper  stories  street 
wards,  the  town  has  a pieturesqueness  very  unusual  in 
Japan.  The  deep  verandahs  are  connected  all  along 


STREET  AND  CANAL. 


the  streets,  so  as  to  form  a sheltered  promenade  when 
the  snow  lies  deep  in  winter.  With  its  canals  with 
their  avenues  of  trees,  its  fine  public  gardens  and  clean, 
picturesqire  streets,  it  is  a really  attractive  town ; but 
its  inrprovements  are  recent,  and  were  onlj^  lately  com- 
pleted by  Mr.  IMasakata  Kusumoto,  now  Governor  of 
Tokiyd.  There  is  no  appearance  of  poverty  in  any 
part  of  the  town,  but  if  there  be  wealth,  it  is  carefully 
concealed.  One  marked  feature  of  the  city  is  the  num- 


NIIGATA  GARDENS. 


223 


ber  of  streets  of  dwelling-houses  with  projecting  win- 
dows of  wooden  slats,  through  which  the  people  can 
see  without  being  seen,  though  at  night,  when  the 
andons  are  lit,  we  saw,  as  v/e  walked  from  Dr.  Palm’s, 
that  in  most  cases  families  were  sitting  round  the  hiba- 
chi  in  a dishabille  of  the  scantiest  kind. 

The  fronts  are  very  narrow,  and  the  houses  extend 
backwards  to  an  amazing  length,  with  gardens  in  which 
flowers,  shrubs,  and  mosquitoes  are  grown,  and  bridges 
are  several  times  repeated,  so  as  to  give  the  effect  of 
fairyland  as  you  look  through  from  the  street.  The 
principal  apartments  in  all  Japanese  houses  are  at  the 
back,  looking  out  on  these  miniature  landscapes,  for  a 
landscape  is  skilfully  dwarfed  into  a space  often  not 
more  than  30  feet  square.  A lake,  a rockwork,  a bridge, 
a stone  lantern,  and  a deformed  pine,  are  indispensable, 
but  whenever  circumstances  and  means  admit  of  it, 
quaintnesses  of  all  kinds  are  introduced.  Small  pavil- 
ions, retreats  for  tea-making,  reading,  sleeping  in  quiet 
and  coolness,  fishing  under  cover,  and  drinking  saki ; 
bronze  pagodas,  cascades  falling  from  the  mouths  of 
bronze  dragons ; rock  caves,  with  gold  and  silver  fish 
darting  in  and  out ; lakes  with  rocky  islands,  streams 
crossed  by  green  bridges,  just  high  enough  to  allow  a 
rat  or  frog  to  pass  under ; lawns,  and  slabs  of  stone  for 
crossing  them  in  wet  weather,  grottoes,  hills,  valleys, 
groves  of  miniature  palms,  cycas,  and  bamboo ; and 
dwarfed  trees  of  many  kinds,  of  purplish  and  dull  green 
hues,  are  cut  into  startling  likenesses  of  beasts  and  creep- 
ing things,  or  stretch  distorted  arms  over  tiny  lakes. 

I have  walked  about  a great  deal  in  Niigata,  and 
when  with  Mrs.  Fyson,  who  is  the  only  European  lady 
here  at  present,  and  her  little  Ruth,  a pretty  Saxon  child 
of  three  years  old,  we  have  been  followed  by  an  im- 
mense crowd,  as  the  sight  of  this  fair  creature,  with 


2ti4  UNBEATEN  TRACKS  IN  JAPAN. 

golden  curls  falling  over  her  shoulders,  is  most  fascina^ 
ing.  Both  men  and  women  have  gentle,  winning  ways 
with  infants,  and  Ruth,  instead  of  being  afraid  of  the 
crowds,  smiles  upon  them,  bows  in  Japanese  fashion, 
speaks  to  them  in  Japanese,  and  seems  a little  disposed 
to  leave  her  own  people  altogether.  It  is  most  difficult 
to  make  her  keep  with  us,  and  two  or  three  times,  on 
missing  her,  and  looking  back,  we  have  seen  her  seated, 
native  fashion,  in  a ring  in  a crowd  of  several  hundred 
people,  receiving  a homage  and  admiration  from  which 
she  was  most  unwillingly  torn.  The  Japanese  have  a 
perfect  passion  for  children,  but  it  is  not  good  for  Euro- 
pean children  to  be  much  with  them,  as  they  corrupt 
their  morals,  and  teach  them  to  tell  lies. 

The  climate  of  Niigata  and  of  most  of  this  great 
province  contrasts  unpleasantly  with  the  region  on  the 
other  side  of  the  mountains,  warmed  by  the  gulf-stream 
of  the  North  Pacific,  in  which  the  autumn  and  winter, 
with  their  still  atmosphere,  bracing  temperature,  and 
blue  and  sunny  skies,  are  the  most  delightful  seasons  of 
the  year.  Thirty-two  days  of  snow-fall  occur  on  an 
average.  The  canals  and  rivers  freeze,  and  even  the 
rapid  Shinano  sometimes  bears  a horse.  In  January 
and  February  the  snow  lies  three  or  four  feet  deep,  a 
veil  of  clouds  obscures  the  sky,  people  inhabit  their 
upper  rooms  to  get  any  daylight,  pack-horse  traffic  is 
suspended,  pedestrians  go  about  with  difficulty  in  rough 
snow-shoes,  and  for  nearl}^  six  m(  mths  the  coast  is  un- 
suitable for  navigation,  owmg  to  the  prevalence  of 
strong,  cold,  north-west  winds.  In  this  city  people  in 
wadded  clothes,  with  only  their  eyes  exposed,  creep 
about  under  the  verandahs.  The  population  huddles 
round  hibachis  and  shivers,  for  the  mercury  which  rises 
to  92°  in  summer,  falls  to  15°  in  winter.  And  all  this 
is  in  Latitude  37°  55'  — three  degrees  south  of  Naples  ! 

I.  L.  B. 


ISiEJLJl^En  TUBS. 


225 


THE  SHOPS. 

Mean  Streets  — Curio  Shops  — Idealised  Tubs  — Hair-Pins  — Coarse 
Lacquer  — Graven  Images  — Ecclesiastical  Paraphernalia  — Shod- 
dy— Booksellers’  Shops  — Literature  for  Women  — Careful  Do- 
mestic Training  — Literary  Copyright  — Book-Binding  — Paper 
Lanterns  — Blue  China  — Quack  Medicines  — Criticisms. 

Niigata,  July  9. 

The  “ gorgeous  east  ” is  not  a phrase  which  applies 
to  anything  in  Japan  except  to  a few  of  the  temples. 
The  cities,  with  their  low,  grey,  wooden  houses,  are  sin- 
gularly mean,  and  the  shops,  as  far  as  outward  appear- 
ance goes,  are  as  mean  as  all  else ; for  the  best  textile 
goods  cannot  be  exposed  for  fear  of  injury  from  damp, 
dust,  and  rain,  and  though  there  are  a number  of 
“ curio,”  or,  as  we  should  call  them,  second-hand  shops, 
they  only  expose  common  things  in  the  street.  The 
china,  confectionery,  toy,  and  shrine  shops,  make  the 
best  show.  If  one  has  time  and  patience,  by  diving 
into  a small  back  shop,  or  climbing  by  a steep  ladder 
into  a loft,  one  may  chance  to  see  priceless  things  in 
old  lacquer ; but  each  article  is  hidden  away  in  its  own 
well-made  deal  box  and  its  many  wrappings  of  soft  silk, 
or  cripe-\\kQ  paper.  The  coopers’  and  basket-makers’ 
shops  contain  articles  of  exquisite  neatness  of  work- 
manship and  singular  adaptability.  I never  pass  a 
cooper’s  without  longing  to  become  a purchaser.  A 
common  tub,  by  careful  choice  of  woods  and  attention 
to  taste  and  neatness  of  detail,  is  turned  into  an  ohjet 


226 


UNBEATEN  TRACES  IN  JAPAN. 


d'art.  The  basket-work,  coarse  and  fine,  is  simply  won- 
derful, from  the  great  bamboo  cages  which  are  used  to 
hold  stones  in  their  place  for  breakwaters,  down  to  the 
grasshoppers,  spiders,  and  beetles  of  such  deceptively 
imitative  art  that  you  feel  inclined  to  brush  them  off  the 
line  plaited  fans  to  which  they  are  artificially  attached. 
Shops  of  the  same  kind  herd  together ; thus,  in  one 
long  street,  one  sees  little  except  toy-shops  with  stuffed 
and  china  animals  on  wheels,  windmills  and  water 
wheels,  toy  idols  and  idol  cars,  battledores  and  shutth; 
cocks,  sugar  toys  of  all  kinds,  and  dolls  of  all  sizes.  A 
short  street  contains  few  but  barbers’  shops,  another  is 
devoted  to  the  sale  of  wigs,  clngnons,  toupees,  and  the 
switches  of  coarse  black  hair  which  the  women  inter- 
weave dexterously  with  their  own.  An  adjacent  street 
Is  full  of  shops  where  all  sorts  of  pins  for  the  hair  are 
sold,  from  the  plain  brass  or  silver  pin  costing  a trifle, 
to  the  elaborate  tortoise-shell  pin  with  a group  of  birds 
or  bamboos  finely  carved,  costing  8 or  12  yen  at  least. 
I counted  117  dilfferent  kinds  of  ornamental  hair-pins ! 
In  the  same  street  are  sold  the  stiff  pads  over  which  the 
universal  chignon  is  rolled.  Not  far  off  there  is  a street 
chiefly  taken  up  Avith  clogs,  of  which  thousands  of  pairs 
are  annually  made  in  Niigata ; then  another  with  paper 
umbrellas,  sun  and  rain  hats,  paper  waterproof  cloaks 
and  baggage-wrappers,  straw  shoes  for  men  and  horses, 
straw  rain-cloaks,  and  straw  rain-mats ; then  rows  of 
shops  for  pack-saddles,  with  gay  fronts  of  red  lacquer. 
In  the  principal  streets,  though  it  is  quite  usual  to  see 
eight  or  ten  shops  of  one  kind  together,  there  is  a tol- 
erable mixture.  Niigata  is  famous  for  coarse  lacquer 
such  as  is  sold  in  London  shops  and  at  bazaars,  trays 
with  a black  or  red  ground,  with  birds,  bamboos,  or 
peonies  sprawling  across  it  in  gold  paint.  Similar  trays 
with  legs,  zen,  or  tables,  are  sold  in  sets  of  ten  for  fam- 


ECCLESIASTICAL  PABAPHERNALIA. 


227 


ily  use,  as  well  as  rice-bowls,  rice  pails  and  ladles,  pil- 
lows, and  numberless  other  articles  of  household  utility. 
A sort  of  seaweed  lacquer  is  also  manufactured. 

In  the  same  street  with  these  lacquer  shops  are  the 
ecclesiastical  furniture  shops.  At  the  back  of  these  one 
can  see  the  whole  process,  as  described  by  Isaiah,  of 
graving  a god,  from  the  rude  block  to  the  last  delicate 
touches.  There  are  all  the  household  gods,  among 
which  Daikoku,  the  grinning  god  of  wealth,  never  fails 
to  attract  one’s  attention,  and  gods  of  all  sizes,  from 
those  eight  feet  high  down  to  those  an  inch  long  in 
gold-embroidered  bags,  worn  as  charms  by  children, 
and  others  of  delicate  workmanship,  which  are  earried 
in  the  sleeves  of  adults.  I have  one  of  the  latter,  rep- 
resenting the  goddess  of  mercy.  The  case  is  a lotus 
bud,  well  executed  in  dark  wood,  which,  on  being 
removed,  leaves  a pedestal  on  which  a draped  female 
figure  stands,  with  a glory  touched  with  gold  round  her 
head,  a golden  sceptre  by  her  side,  and  one  pair  of  arms 
quietly  folded  across  her  breast,  while  about  ten  more 
come  out  from  behind  her,  but  are  so  dexterously  man- 
aged as  not  to  suggest  any  idea  of  monstrosity.  The 
expression  of  both  face  and  figure  is  one  of  majestic 
serenity.  The  whole  is  about  four  inches  high,  and  is 
the  most  exquisite  piece  of  wood-carving  that  I have 
ever  seen.  There  are  gorgeous  shrines  for  temples,  in 
which  Buddha  stands  in  endless  calm,  and  shrines  for 
his  disciples,  and  family  shrines  of  all  sizes  and  prices, 
from  bronze  and  gold  at  200  yen  down  to  unpainted 
wood  at  a dollar,  tablets  for  the  haimiyd  or  dead  name, 
in  black  or  gold,  candlesticks  and  incense-burners  in 
bronze  and  brass,  brass  lotuses  six  feet  high,  altar-cloths 
richl}"  worked  in  gold,  dimms,  gongs,  bells,  and  the 
numerous  musical  instruments  used  in  temple  worship, 
and  hundreds  of  difi'erent  articles  more  or  less  elabo 


:28 


UNBEATEN  TBACKS  IN  JAPAN. 


rate  used  in  the  perplexing  symbolism  of  the  worship  of 
some  of  the  Buddhist  sects.  Shops  for  incense,  which 
is  consumed  in  enormous  quantities,  are  separate. 

Many  shops  sell  only  ready-made  or  second-hand 
men’s  clothes.  Those  for  women  are  always  made 
either  to  order  or  by  themselves.  Some  sell  blankets 
and  British  woollen  goods  of  the  most  shameless  “ shod- 
dy,” others  nothing  but  a thin,  striped  silk  made  in  the 
neighbourhood,  and  largely  used  for  haori.  There  are 
separate  shops  for  fans,  from  three  sen  up  to  four  or 
five  yen.)  for  kakemonos.,  or  wall-pictures,  and  makemonos 
or  rolled  pictures,  and  floral  albums,  for  folding  screens, 
for  the  silk  braid  fastenings  of  haori,  for  crepe,  and  for 
blue  and  white  towels.  The  number  of  shops  which 
sell  nothing  but  smoking  apparatus  surprises  me,  though 
it  ought  not,  for  all  men  above  fifteen  smoke,  and  most 
women,  and  all  men  carry  a pipe  and  pouch  at  their 
girdles.  Then  there  are  shops  for  pens  only,  for  ink 
and  inkstones,  and  others  which  sell  nothing  but  writ- 
ing-boxes. 

There  are  large  book  shops  wliich  supply  the  country 
towns  and  the  hawkers  who  carry  books  into  the 
villages.  “ Pure  Literature  Societies  ” are  much  needed 
in  Japan.  The  books  for  which  there  is  the  greatest 
demand  are  those  which  pack  the  greatest  amount  of 
crime  into  the  smallest  space,  and  corrupt  the  morals 
of  all  classes.  A bookseller  tells  me  that  eight-tenths 
of  his  very  large  stock  consists  of  novels,  many  of  them 
coarsely  illustrated,  and  the  remaining  two-tenths  of 
“standard  works.”  You  will  be  interested  to  know 
the  names  of  some  of  those  which  few  but  the  most 
illiterate  families  are  without,  and  which  take  the  place 
occupied  with  us  by  the  Bible  and  Pilgrim's  Progress. 

There  are  certain  books  for  women,  called  collective- 
ly the  Bunko,  and  respectively  Womans  G-reat  Learn- 


LITERATUBE  FOB  WOMEN. 


229 


ing,  the  moral  duties  of  women  based  upon  the  Chinese 
Classics  ; Woman'’ s Small  Learning.,  introductory  to  the 
above ; Woman’s  Household  Instruction,  the  d uties  relat- 
ing to  dress,  furniture,  reception  of  guests,  and  the 
minutiae  of  daily  and  ceremonial  life ; The  Lady's  Let- 
ter-Writer; and  Twenty-four  Children,  stories  of  twenty- 
four  model  Chinese  children.  These  books,  which,  i£ 
printed  in  small  Roman  type,  would  not  be  larger  al- 
together than  the  Cornhill  Magazine,  contain,  says  an 
informant,  the  maxims  and  rules,  many  of  them  a thou- 
sand years  old,  on  which  the  morals  and  manners  of 
“ all  our  women  ” are  founded,  so  that  theii-  extreme 
similarity  is  easily  accounted  for.  These  books  are 
studied  and  taught  from  early  infancy.  In  many  re- 
spects this  careful  training  for  the  domestic  duties  of 
married  life,  and  for  all  possible  circumstances,  so  that 
a girl  is  never  in  any  difficulty  as  to  how  she  shall  act, 
is  far  wiser  then  the  haphazard  way  in  which  many  of 
our  girls  are  allowed  to  tumble  into  positions  for  which 
they  have  had  no  previous  training,  and  to  learn  life’s 
lessons  by  the  sharp  teachings  of  experience.  There  is 
another  book  which  is  read,  and  re-read,  and  committed 
to  memory  in  every  Japanese  household  by  the  women, 
the  contents  of  which  are,  a collection  of  a hundred 
poems  by  a hundred  poets,  lives  of  model  women,  rules 
to  secure  perfect  agreement  between  man  and  wife, 
and  examples  of  such  agreement,  and  other  useful  and 
ornamental  knowledge,  suitable  for  maiden,  wife,  and 
mother. 

Books  are  remarkably  cheap.  Copyright  is  obtained 
by  a Japanese  author  by  the  payment  to  Govern 
ment  of  a sum  equivalent  to  the  selling-price  of  six 
copies  of  his  work.  They  are  printed  from  wooden 
blocks,  on  fine  silky  paper,  doubled  so  that  only  the 
outsides  receive  the  impression,  but  I have  not  seen 


230 


UNBEATEN  TRACKS  IN  JAPAN. 


anything  in  the  way  of  binding  better  than  stiffened 
paper  of  a heavier  quality  than  the  pages,  except  in  the 
case  of  hand-painted  picture-books,  which  are  often 
bound  in  brocade  and  gold  and  silver  stuffs. 

Tins  bookseller,  who  was  remarkably  communicative, 
and  seems  very  intelligent,  tells  me  that  there  is  not 
the  same  demand  now  as  formerly  for  native  works  on 
the  history,  geography,  and  botany  of  Japan.  He 
showed  me  a folio  work  on  botany,  in  four  thick  vol- 
umes, which  gives  root,  stalk,  leaf,  flower,  and  seed 
of  every  plant  delmeated  (and  there  are  400),  drawn 
with  the  most  painstaking  botanical  accuracy,  and 
admirable  fidelity  to  colour.  Tins  is  a book  of  very 
great  value  and  interest.  He  has  translations  of  some 
of  the  works  of  Huxley,  Darwin,  and  Herbert  Spencer, 
which,  he  says,  are  bought  by  the  young  men  attend- 
ing the  higher  school.  The  Origin  of  Species  has  the 
largest  sale.  This  man  asked  me  many  questions  about 
the  publishing  and  bookselling  trade  in  England,  and 
Ito  acquitted  himself  admirably  as  an  interpreter.  He 
had  not  a single  book  on  any  subject  connected  with 
rebgion. 

The  number  of  shops  for  the  sale  of  paper  is  enor- 
mous. Then  there  are  shops  where  nothing  is  to  be 
seen  but  hihachi.,  some  of  them  of  fine  bronze  work  and 
very  beautiful,  all  in  sufficiently  good  taste  to  pass  off 
as  works  of  art ; shops  for  brass  tongs,  and  others 
where  chopsticks  alone  are  sold,  from  those  of  fine 
Wasaka,  and  inlaid  lacquer,  to  the  common  wooden 
ones  which  are  used  once  and  are  then  thrown  away. 

The  paper  lantern  shops  are  among  the  most  conspic- 
uous and  interesting.  You  can  form  no  conception  of 
the  extent  to  which  lanterns  are  used.  They  are  one 
of  the  idiosyncrasies  of  Japan.  No  festival,  secular  or 
religious,  is  complete  without  hundreds  or  thousands  of 


BLUE  CHINA. 


231 


them.  A paper  lantern  burns  outside  most  houses  and 
shops  at  night,  the  yadoyas,  tea-houses,  and  theatres 
keep  up  a perpetual  illumination,  and  every  foot- 
passenger  and  Icuruma  runner  carries  one  with  the 
Chinese  characters  forming  his  name  upon  it,  in  black 
or  red,  upon  a white  ground.  They  are  of  all  sizes, 
from  those  hanging  in  the  temples,  10  and  12  feet 
long,  by  3 or  4 in  diameter,  to  the  small  expanding 
ones,  a foot  long,  by  4 or  5 inches  wide,  carried  in  the 
streets.  Ingenuity,  fancy,  and  taste,  do  their  utmost 
to  ornament  them,  and  many  of  them,  especially  the 
kinds  in  ordinary  use,  are  very  beautiful.  The  usual 
shape  is  circular,  but  for  festal  occasions  they  are  made 
in  huge  oblongs  and  squares  — movable  transparencies 
rather  than  lanterns  — and  in  the  likeness  of  fans  and 
fishes.  Some  of  the  prettiest  are  those  with  merely  the 
family  crest  in  red  on  a white  ground,  or  the  name  in 
the  Chinese  seal  character.  On  inquiring  the  prices  at 
one  shop  I found  that  they  ranged  from  8 sen  up  to  8 
yen.  I long  to  buy  any  number  of  them,  but  cannot. 

Shops  for  andoiis,  iron  kettles,  work-boxes  (an  essen 
tial  part  of  every  Japanese  woman’s  outfit),  kitchen 
utensils,  tea-shops,  salcS  shops,  are  all  interesting,  but 
yield  in  attractiveness  to  the  pottery  shops,  which  fill  a 
whole  street.  Admirers  of  blue  china  would  be  nearly 
distracted  with  the  variety,  and  even  with  the  beauty 
of  some  of  it,  and  especially  with  the  bold  handling  of 
the  designs  on  some  of  the  large  fish  dishes.  Every- 
where in  the  interior  one  sees  horses  loaded  with  it, 
and  there  is  hardly  a wayside  tea-house  at  which  I have 
not  seen  morsels,  some  of  them  very  old,  which  I longed 
to  buy.  The  salce  cups,  with  the  seven  gods  of  luck 
within  them,  are  very  tempting,  but  nothing  is  more  so 
than  the  teapots  of  all  sizes  and  patterns,  in  every 
kind  of  ware  for  which  Japan  is  famous.  Every  true 


232 


UNBEATEN  TRACKS  IN  JAPAN. 


Japanese  teapot  has  a hollow  handle  placed  at  right 
angles  with  a short,  straight  spout.  At  some  shops 
they  sell  nothing  else.  Rope  and  hemp  shops  are  very 
numerous. 

One  quarter,  which  is  given  up  to  food  shops,  is 
always  thronged,  but  there  is  none  of  the  noisy  chaffer- 
ing which  distinguishes  such  quarters  in  our  large 
towns.  Confectioners,  humble  vendors  of  rice  dump 
lings  and  barley  cakes ; fishmongers  with  stands  cov- 
ered with  bonito  slices,  conger  eels,  soles,  lobsters,  star- 
fish, and  cuttle-fish;  dealers  in  dried  fish,  rice,  and 
grain ; in  sauces,  condiments,  and  soy ; in  wine,  and 
leaf  tea,  are  all  crowded  together.  Fruiterers’  shops 
look  tempting,  even  so  early,  with  loquats  {Eriohotrya 
Japonica)  and  plums  (both  as  sour  as  they  can  be), 
young  turnips,  carrots,  cucumbers,  and  pease  and  beans ; 
and  florists  make  a tasteful  show  witli  cut  flowers,  min- 
iature shrubs,  and  wonderful  dwarfed  trees  in  vases. 
The  consumption  of  cucumbers  is  something  wonderful. 
Every  man,  woman,  and  child  eats  them — you  can 
get  a good-sized  basket  of  them  for  four  sen  — three  or 
four  a day  is  not  an  unreasonable  allowance  ; you  would 
be  astonished  to  see  the  number  which  the  Fysons  and 
1 consume  at  every  meal ! Then  come  sellers  of  dried 
and  candied  fruits,  egg  merchants,  tailors  sitting  in 
their  shop  fronts  working  sewing  machines  of  Japanese 
make,  cotton  cleaners,  rice  buskers,  weavers,  specta^  le 
makers,  needle  makers,  brass  founders,  herb  sellers, 
money  changers,  tobacco  leaf  cutters,  picture  shops  in 
which  grotesque  art  predominates,  druggists  with  their 
stock  in  handsome  jars  of  blue  and  white  china  in- 
scribed with  red  Chinese  characters,  and  dealers  in 
“ quack  medicines,”  with  conspicuous  signboards  three 
or  four  feet  long,  with  Chinese  characters  in  gold  or 
red  on  a black  ground. 

The  Japanese  Government  in  many  wa^'s  shows  a 


QVACK  MEDICINES. 


233 


paternal  regard  for  the  well-being  of  its  subjects,  and 
keeps  a special  watch  upon  “quack  medicines.”  Ir 
order  to  obtain  leave  to  make  and  sell  them,  a minute 
description  of  the  nature  and  effect  of  each  must  be 
sent  to  that  all-embracing  bureau,  the  Ministry  of  the 
Interior.  Heavy  penalties  are  attached  to  their  un- 
authorised sale  and  manufacture,  and  the  license  to 
make  each  costs  8s.  per  annum.  Druggists  and  itiner- 
ant vendors  pay  nominal  fees  for  licenses  to  sell  them. 
The  peasants  place  greater  faith  in  such  compounds, 
and  in  the  charms  against  disease  sold  in  the  temples, 
than  in  the  medicines  prescribed  by  the  regular  medi- 
cal profession. 

The  neat  finish  of  many  articles  is  remarkable,  and 
the  beauty  of  some  of  the  things  turned  out  from  dimly 
lighted  rooms  with  apparently  scanty  appliances.  Some 
of  the  finest  things  in  iron  and  bronze  are  made  by 
smiths  squatting  by  a fire  on  the  fioor,  one  blowing  the 
embers  with  a small  pair  of  bellows,  while  the  other 
hammers  the  iron  on  an  anvil  a foot  high.  But  I can- 
not enter  into  the  indiscriminate  laudation  indulged  in 
by  some  travellers.  Many  articles,  especially  in  lac- 
quer, are  tawdry  and  tasteless ; some  of  the  cottons 
show  the  vicious  infiuence  of  the  staring  patterns  of 
Manchester  ; a good  deal  of  the  china  is  positively  ugly, 
the  grotesque  is  often  exaggerated,  representations  of 
the  human  form  are  nearly  always  out  of  drawing ; 
some  objects  in  nature  are  over-conventionalised,  and 
some  of  the  decorative  articles,  such  as  ornamental  hair- 
pins, are  tawdry  and  vulgar. 

I hope  you  are  not  tired  of  the  shops.  I have  had 
to  spend  much  time  in  searching  for  necessaries  among 
them,  and  they  certainly  indicate  the  tastes,  habits,  and 
requirements  of  the  people.  If,  as  I suppose,  the  Nii- 
gata shops  are  typical,  they  e\ddence  either  the  absence 
of  expensive  tastes,  or  of  the  means  to  gratify  them. 


234 


UNBEATEN  TBACKS  IN  JAPAN. 


ADULTERATIONS. 

The  Al  surd  in  Shopping  — Sadness  and  Jubilation  — Condensed 
Milk  — ^Leinon  Sugar  — Essence  of  Coffee  — Shameless  Impositions 
— Eose  Dentifrice  — Ito  — Provender  for  the  Journey. 

Japanese  shopping  is  an  art  to  be  acquired,  appar- 
ently, and  I have  not  patience  for  it.  As  a general 
rule  I would  rather  give  something  approaching  the 
price  first  asked  by  the  vendor,  than  spend  my  time  in 
haggling  over  it ; but  foreigners,  who  are  expert,  never 
do  anything  so  extravagant,  and,  in  the  estimation  of 
the  shopkeeper,  so  absurd.  If  you  like  and  wish  to 
buy  an  article  you  don’t  ask  its  price,  but  that  of  several 
other  tilings,  worldng  indifferently  round  to  it.  Per- 
haps the  vendor  says  ten  yen;  you  laugh  as  if  you 
were  very  much  amused,  and  say  two  yen.  He  laughs 
derisively,  but  quite  good-naturedly,  and  you  put  it 
down,  on  which  he  says  eight  yen;  you  laugh  again 
and  walk  about,  on  which  he  looks  amnsed,  and  saj  s 
seven  yen  ; you  say  carelessly  three  yeii,  he  looks  sad 
and  appears  to  calculate  on  his  soroban  ; you  move  as  if 
to  go  out,  when  most  Likely  he  claps  his  hands,  looks 
jubilant,  and  says  yuroshi,  which  means  that  you  are  to 
have  it  for  three  yen,  which  possibly  is  far  more  than  it 
is  worth  to  him.  If  the  sellers  were  sour  and  glum, 
this  process  would  be  unbearable,  but  if  you  are  cour- 
teous and  smiling,  they  are  as  pleasant  as  people  can 
be. 

There  are  several  shops  which  profess  to  sell  tinned 


SHAMELESS  IMPOSITIONS. 


235 


meats,  condensed  milk,  and  such  like  travelling  requi- 
sites, and  upon  these  have  I spent  much  time  with 
little  success.  I bought  condensed  milk  with  the 
“ Eagle  ” brand.  On  opening  it  I found  a substance 
like  pale  treacle,  with  a dash  of  valerian.  I bought 
“ lemon  sugar,”  the  one  cooling  drink  worth  drinking. 
It  turned  out  to  be  merely  moistened  sugar,  with  a 
phial  in  the  middle,  containing  not  essence  of  lemon, 
but  an  oily  fluid  with  a smell  of  coal-tar.  I saw  cognac 
in  French  bottles,  with  French  labels,  selling  at  forty 
sen  a quart,  about  a ninth  of  its  cost  price.  I bought 
Smith’s  essence  of  coffee  for  a high  price,  alas  ! and  on 
opening  it  found  a sticky  and  bitter  paste,  which  Ito 
declares  is  a decoction  of  the  leaves  of  ninjin.  Lastly, 
I bought  some  semi-transparent  soap  on  trial,  and  the 
use  of  it  produced  in  half  an  hour  a rash  like  scarla- 
tina ! 

If  truth  must  be  told,  greed  leads  the  Japanese 
into  the  most  shameless  impositions.  Half  the  goods 
sold  as  foreign  eatables  and  drinkables  are  compounded 
of  vile  and  unwholesome  trash,  manufactured  in  TSkiyS 
and  elsewhere,  put  up  in  bottles  and  jars  with  the 
names  and  labels  of  such  highly  respectable  makers  as 
Bass,  Martell,  Guiness,  and  Crosse  and  Blackwell,  upon 
them.  The  last  Arm  regularly  appends  to  its  advertise- 
ment in  the  Yokohama  papers  a request  that  its  bottles 
and  jars  may  be  destroyed  when  empty,  to  prevent  dis- 
gusting or  poisonous  frauds.  But  to  secure  themselves 
in  their  trade  of  forgery,  these  unconscionable  villains 
have  establishments  at  T8kiy8,  not  only  for  the  manu- 
facture of  the  compounds,  but  of  the  labels  which  give 
them  currency,  and  some  of  these  are  such  adroit  for- 
geries as  to  be  completely  successful,  while  others  would 
effectually  deceive  a purchaser  were  it  not  for  certain 
inscrutable  vagaries  in  spelling,  of  which  I wUl  give 


236 


UNBEATEN  TRACKS  IN  JAPAN. 


you  only  one  instance,  though  I have  suffered  grioV' 
ously  myself  in  the  matter  of  “ lemon  sugar.”  Thus,  a 
tooth  powder  in  an  English  box  with  “Rose  Denti- 
frice ” at  the  top,  takes  in  the  buyer,  but  on  examining 
the  label  which  surrounds  it,  he  finds  “ Rose  Denti- 
fruge,  a 'preparation  unequalled  for  leaving  the  toothache  ” 
(cleansing  the  teeth).  This  is  harmless,  as  the  forgery 
is  probably  quite  as  efficacious  as  the  original. 

My  plans  for  the  rest  of  the  summer  have  been  de- 
cided by  finding  that  there  is  no  steamer  for  Yezo  foi 
nearly  a month.  The  land  journey  is  about  450  miles, 
and  I can  learn  nothing  about  the  route  I wish  to  take, 
but  though  Ito  brings  from  his  hotel  rumours  of  im- 
passable roads,  cbfficulties  of  transit,  and  bad  accommo- 
dation, I have  no  doubt  that  if  my  strength  does  not 
break  down  I shall  get  through  all  right,  and  I cannot 
think  of  any  more  healthful  way  of  spending  the  sum- 
mer than  journeying  through  the  northern  mountains. 
Ito  is  invaluable  both  as  courier  and  interpreter,  and  as 
I have  profited  by  my  experience,  and  reduced  my  bag- 
gage to  65  lbs.,  and  have  got  a thoroughly  good  mos- 
quito net,  you  may  feel  easy  about  me. 

I am  taldng  some  sago  and  two  tins  of  genuine  con- 
densed milk,  this  being  all  the  portable  food  which  my 
hunt  through  the  shops  has  produced  ; but  Mrs.  Fyson 
has  added  a tin  of  biscuits,  and  Dr.  Palm  some  choco- 
late and  quinine.  To-morrow  I intend  to  plunge  into 
the  interior,  and  if  aU  goes  well,  you  will  hear  from  me 
from  Yezo  in  a few  weeks.  I.  L.  B. 


FISH  AND  SOT. 


237 


FOOD. 

Fish  and  Soj  — The  Use  of  Game  and  Poultry — Varieties  of  Vege- 
tables — The  Raphanus  sativus  — Tastelessness  of  Fruits  — Cakes 
and  Sweetmeats  — Cleaniiness  and  Economy  in  Cooking  — Cook- 
ing Utensils  — Vivisection  — Soups  — Formal  Entertainments  — 
Beverages  — The  Diet  of  the  Poor. 

I HAVE  said  SO  much  and  yet  so  little  about  Japanese 
food,  that  I feel  bound  to  supplement  the  notes  on  the 
subject  which  occur  in  my  letters  by  a few  which  are 
rather  more  connected. 

The  range  of  Japanese  eatables  is  almost  unlimited, 
though  rice,  millet,  salt  fish,  and  Raphanus  sativus.,  con- 
stitute the  staple  food  of  the  poorest  class.  Over  ninety 
kinds  of  sea  and  river  fish  are  eaten,  boiled,  broiled,  and 
raw,  from  steaks  of  bonito  and  whale  down  to  a minute 
species  which  make  less  than  a mouthful  each,  which 
one  usually  sees  in  numbers  in  an  inn  kitchen,  impaled 
on  bamboo  skewers.  Bonito,  whale,  highly  salted  and 
dried  salmon,  sea  slug,  cuttle-fish,  and  some  others,  are 
eaten  raw.  Some  fish  are  fried  in  the  oil  of  the  Sesa- 
mum  Orientate,  which  produces  an  odour  which  makes 
one  fly  from  its  proximity.  Eels  and  other  dainties  are 
served  with  soy  (s/m-yw),  the  great  Japanese  sauce,  of  a 
dark  brown  colour,  made  from  fermented  wheat  and 
beans  with  salt  and  vinegar,  and  with  a dash  of  sake 
occasionally  added  to  give  it  a higher  flavour.  The 
cuttle-fish  always  looks  disgusting,  and  so  do  many  of 
the  others.  Thirteen  or  fourteen  kinds  of  sheJl-fish  are 
eaten,  including  clams,  cockles,  and  oysters. 


238 


UNBEATEN  TBACKS  IN  JAPAN. 


Cranes  and  storks  are  luxuries  of  the  rich,  but  wild 
duck  and  goose,  pheasant,  snipe,  heron,  woodcock,  sky- 
lark, quails,  and  pigeons,  are  eaten  by  the  middle 
classes,  and  where  Shintoism  prevails,  or  Buddhist 
teachings  on  the  sacredness  of  life  have  been  effaced  by 
contact  with  foreigners  or  their  indirect  influence,  fowls 
and  farmyard  ducks  are  eaten  also.  All  these,  except 
quails,  woodcock,  and  pheasant,  are  cooked  by  boiling. 

The  variety  of  vegetables  is  inflnite,  but  with  one 
important  exception  they  are  remarkably  tasteless. 
Fourteen  varieties  of  beans  are  grown  for  food,  besides 
pease,  buckwheat,  maize,  potatoes,  sweet  potatoes  (only 
eaten  by  the  lowest  classes),  turnips,  carrots,  lettuce, 
endive,  cucumbers,  squash,  musk,  and  water  melons, 
spinach,  leeks,  onions,  garlic,  chilies,  capsicums,  eggs 
(vielongena),  yams,  sweet  basil  seeds,  a species  of 
equisetum,  yellow  chrysanthemum  blossoms,  the  roots 
and  seeds  of  the  lotus  Nelumbo  nucifera.,  the  Sagittaria., 
sagittata,  the  Arum  eseulentum  the  taro  of  Hawaii,  and 
some  others.  Besides  cultivated  vegetables  they  eat 
dock  (Laffa  major^,  ferns,  wild  ginger,  water  pepper, 
bamboo  shoots  (a  great  delicacy),  and  various  other 
roots  and  stems.  The  egg-plant  is  enormously  culti- 
vated. The  bulbs  of  the  tiger  and  white  lily  are  also 
cultivated  and  eaten.  Vegetables  are  usually  boiled. 
I have  left  to  the  last  the  vegetable  par  excellence,  the 
celebrated  daikon  (^Raphanus  sativus),  from  which  every 
traveller  and  resident  suffers.  It  is  a plant  of  renowm 
— it  deserves  the  honorific  ! It  has  made  many  a brave 
man  flee ! It  is  grown  and  used  everywhere  by  the 
lower  classes  to  give  sipidity  to  their  otherwise  tasteless 
food.  Its  leaves,  something  like  those  of  a turnip,  are 
a beautiful  green,  and  enliven  the  fields  in  the  early 
winter.  Its  root  is  pure  white,  tolerably  even,  and 
looks  like  an  immensel}’  magnified  radish,  as  thick 


TASTELESSNESS  OF  FRUITS. 


239 


an  average  arm,  and  from  one  to  over  two  feet  long.  In 
this  state  it  is  comparatively  innocuous.  It  is  slightly 
dried  and  then  pickled  in  brine,  with  rice  bran.  It  is 
very  porous,  and  absorbs  a good  deal  of  the  pickle  in 
the  three  months  in  which  it  lies  in  it,  and  then  has  a 
smell  so  awful  that  it  is  difficult  to  remain  in  a house  in 
which  it  is  being  eaten.  It  is  the  worst  smell  that  I 
know  of  except  that  of  a skunk ! 

Mushrooms,  dried,  boiled,  and  served  with  sauce,  are 
to  be  seen  at  every  road-side  tea-house. 

Fruits,  with  one  exception,  are  eaten  raw,  and  with- 
out sugar  or  condiment.  The  finest  fruit  of  Japan  is 
the  kaki  or  persimmon  {^Diospyros  kaki),  a large  golden 
fruit  on  a beautiful  tree.  There  are  many  varieties, 
but  perhaps  the  best  is  a hard  kind,  which,  after  being 
peeled,  is  dried  in  the  sun,  and  then  tastes  like  a fig. 
The  loquat  is  good,  stewed  with  sugar,  especially  its 
large  seeds,  which  taste  like  peach  kernels.  Grapes  are 
tolerable  only,  and  so  are  oranges ; yellow  and  red  rasp- 
berries grow  wild,  but  they  have  less  taste  than  an 
English  blackberry.  Among  other  fruits  are  apples, 
pears,  quinces,  plums,  chestnuts,  peaches,  apricots,  and 
musk  and  water  melons,  but  they  are  sour  and  flavour- 
less. 

Seaweed  is  a common  article  of  diet,  and  is  dried  and 
carried  everywhere  into  the  interior.  I have  scarcely 
seen  a coolie  make  a meal  of  which  it  was  not  a part, 
either  boiled,  fried,  pickled,  raw,  or  in  soup. 

Pickles  and  relishes  are  enormously  consumed.  Cu- 
cumbers, and  the  hrinjal.,  or  egg-plant,  with  one  or  two 
other  things  pickled  in  brine  or  lees  of  sakS,  with  or 
without  rice-bran,  are  popular,  and  are  relied  on  for 
imparting  appetite ; other  vegetables  are  pickled  with 
salt  and  ginger  leaves,  and  are  taken  with  tea  the  first 
thing  in  the  morning,  to  counteract,  as  is  supposed,  the 
effect  of  the  damp. 


240 


UNBEATEN  TRACKS  IN  JAPAN. 


The  Japanese  have  no  puddings,  tarts,  creams,  oi 
custards,  or  anything  in  which  milk  and  butter  are 
essential ; and  in  actual  cookery  sweets  do  not  play  an 
important  part,  but  I have  never  seen  elsewhere  such 
numbers  of  shops  for  the  sale  of  sweetmeats  and  con- 
fectionery, and  on  arriving  at  yadoyas  of  the  better 
class,  a tray  of  sweetmeats  is  always  produced  along 
with  the  tea  with  which  a guest  is  welcomed,  and  they 
are  offered  also  to  “ morning  visitors.”  The  finer  kinds 
are  brought  from  T6kiy6,  and  are  beautiful,  flowers 
and  leaves  being  simulated  with  botanical  accuracy 
and  truthfulness  of  colouring.  I am  ready  to  suspect 
the  brilliant  greens  and  yellows,  but  I believe  they  are 
quite  harmless.  Nearly  every  hamlet  has  its  coarse 
confectionery,  made  chiefly  for  children,  in  which  men, 
women,  children,  temples,  drums,  dogs,  and  many  other 
things,  are  burlesqued  in  coarse  sugar.  The  best  are 
singularly  insipid,  and  either  the  sugar  or  the  rice  flour 
mingled  with  it  have  an  “old”  taste.  The  common 
kinds  are  home-made,  as  may  be  seen  in  every  \ullage. 
Ito  invested  in  sweetmeats  everywhere.  They  seemed 
as  essential  to  him  as  tobacco,  and  he  said  that  aU  who 
abstain  from  sake  crave  for  sugar.  I often  eked  out  my 
scanty  fare  with  comfits  made  of  sugar-coated  beans,  or 
with  bricks  of  fine  rice  flour  kneaded  with  sugar,  aod 
with  yokan.,  which  is  sold  in  oblongs  put  up  in  dried 
leaves,  and  is  made  of  beans  and  sugar  rendered  firm 
by  a gelatinous  substance  obtained  from  seaweed. 
There  is  a cake  called  kasuteira,  resembling  sponge- 
cake, which  is  in  much  favour,  and  is  quite  tolerable, 
unless,  as  is  frequently  the  case,  the  eggs  are  musty. 
It  is  said  to  have  been  introduced  by  the  Spaniards, 
and  that  its  name  is  a corruption  of  Castella.  Mochi,  a 
small  round  cake  of  unbaked  rice  dough,  though  in 
sipid.  is  not  unpalatable,  and  is  in  much  favour  also. 


COOKING  UTENSILS. 


241 


The  marvel  is  that  such  a small  quantity  of  fuel,  and 
such  a limited  cooking  apparatus  can  produce  such  a 
variety  of  results.  Take  a yadoya.,  for  instance,  with 
forty  guests,  from  the  high  Government  official  down 
to  kuruma  runners  and  baggage  coolies.  It  might  not 
be  diffieult  to  provide  a dinner  for  forty,  but  then  it 
must  be  forty  dinners,  i.e.  each  person  must  have  his 
separate  lacquered  table  and  from  four  to  twelve  dishes 
or  bowls  containing  eatables.  I abhor  the  viands,  but 
I never  see  even  a coolie  taking  his  midday  meal  with- 
out fresh  admiration  of  the  neat  and  cleanly  mode  of 
serving,  and  the  adaptability  and  elegance  of  the 
solitaire  dinner  service,  with  nothing  “ hugger-mugger,” 
forlorn,  or  incomplete  about  it.  It  is  very  interesting 
to  watch  the  cleanliness,  eeonomy,  and  certainty  of  the 
cooking  operations,  and  the  way  in  which,  by  frequent 
and  dexterous  manipulations  of  a dainty  pair  of  brass 
tongs,  which  are  worked  like  chopsticks  with  the  fin- 
gers, a few  ounces  of  charcoal  can  be  made  to  cook  a 
family  meal.  However  dirty  the  clothing  and  even 
houses  of  the  poorer  classes  are,  I have  never  seen  any- 
thing  but  extreme  cleanliness  in  the  cooking  and  serv- 
ing of  meals,  and  I have  often  preferred  to  spend  an 
hour  by  the  kitchen  fire  to  a dignified  solitude  in  my 
own  room. 

Eaeh  cooking  utensil  has  its  special  beauty  and  fit- 
ness, and  the  people  take  a pride  both  in  their  cleanli- 
ness and  antiquity.  Many  an  inn  kitchen  contains 
articles  in  bronze  and  iron  which  are  worth  all  the 
gaudy  and  tasteless  rubbish  of  many  a Yokohama  curio 
shop,  specially  iron  and  bronze  kettles  of  antique  and 
elaborate  workmanship,  in  design  at  least  equal  to 
those  in  the  Imperial  Treasury  at  Nara,  and  even  ex- 
ceeding in  grace  of  form  and  delicaey  of  execution  the 
cooking  utensils  in  the  Pompeiian  room  of  the  Naples 


242 


UNBEATEN  TRACKS  IN  JAPAN. 


Museum.  I have  before  me  now  two  kettles  of  gi ace- 
ful shape  in  antique  bronze,  decorated  with  four  or  five 
small  medallions  in  niello  work,  each  consisting  of  a 
circle  of  gold,  with  an  iris,  a clirysanthemum,  or  a cherry 
blossom  iulaid  in  gold  within  it.  Of  course  the  char- 
coal fires  are  smokeless,  and  the  kettle  rests  on  a three- 
legged  circle  of  iron  above  the  embers,  so  that  it  is  not 
exposed  to  any  coarse  or  sooty  contacts. 

In  the  large  kitchens,  cooking  is  done  at  a row  ol 
small  fireplaces  at  a convenient  height,  which,  however, 
are  on  the  same  economical  principle  as  the  irori.  Fish 
are  boiled  in  water  and  soy,  and  a sort  of  sweet  sake 
called  mirinshu,  to  which  a little  sugar  is  added.  They 
are  served  with  various  relishes  according  to  rules  pre- 
scribed by  inflexible  custom.  . In  broiling,  the  most 
common  way  is  to  sprinkle  salt  from  above  during  the 
process,  but  a more  piquant  mode  is  to  dash  a little  so}' 
and  mirinshu  on  the  fish  from  time  to  time.  All  birds, 
with  the  exception  of  quail,  woodcock,  and  pheasant, 
which  are  broiled  on  spits,  are  first  cut  into  small  pieces, 
and  then  boiled  in  water  with  a little  salt.  The  com- 
mon people  are  also  fond  of  “ a pot-boil  of  bfrds  ” in 
which  a little  soy  and  mirinshu  are  added  to  the  water. 
There  are  two  ways  of  serving  raw  fish.  In  the  first 
method  the  flesh  is  cut  up  into  small,  oblong  strips,  in 
the  latter  into  very  thin  threads.  The  carp  is  frequent- 
ly cut  up  while  j^et  alive,  and  survives  a partial  dis- 
memberment for  some  time.  While  one  side  of  it  is 
being  eaten  raw  by  the  guests,  the  other,  attached  to 
the  back  bone,  and  the  head,  which  is  not  touched,  con- 
tinue to  move  about,  and  the  movements  are  often 
quickened  by  sprinkling  water  on  the  poor  creature. 
This  dish,  which  is  a delio-acy,  is  called  “ A live  prepara 
tion  of  Ko-i.” 

The  chief  kinds  of  soup  used  by  the  middle  classes 


SOUPS. 


243 


are  bean  Goup,  egg  soup,  and  clear  soup.  The  latter  is 
of  two  kinds,  one  water  and  salt,  the  other  water  and 
soy.  Among  the  lower  classes  there  are  many  kinds, 
most  of  which  taste  like  dirty  water  with  a pinch  of 
salt,  and  contain  cubes  of  bean  curd,  strips  of  diied  fish, 
raw  cuttle-fish,  etc.  One  soup  is  a black  liquid  con- 
taining dried  snails  of  the  consistency  of  leather,  and 
most  are  best  described  by  the  Biblical  phrase,  “broth 
of  abominable  things.”  Egg  soup  is  usually  found 
somewhat  palatable  by  foreigners.  In  “ upper  circles,” 
fish  and  vegetables,  which  have  been  separately  boiled, 
are  added  to  soups.  Carp  is  used  with  bean  soup  only, 
while  serranus  marginalis  is  reserved  for  that  especially 
ascetic  soup  the  basis  of  which  is  salt  and  water. 

The  usual  everyday  meal  of  “ well-to-do  ” people  con- 
sists of  rice,  soups,  boiled  and  broiled  fish,  and  relishes, 
which  occupy  a far  more  important  place  than  with  us. 
Formal  entertainments  are  divided  into  three  classes, 
the  san  no  zen,  in  which  three  small  lacquer  tables  of 
eatables  are  provided  for  each  guest ; the  ni  no  zen.,  with 
two,  and  the  honzen  with  one.  The  following  are  ordi- 
nary menus  in  each  style. 

San  no  zen. 

1st  Table.  Rice,  bean  soup  with  carp,  raw  fish  cut 
into  thin  threads  with  adjuncts,  boiled  fish,  and  relishes. 

2d  Table.  Clear  soup,  broiled  fish,  boiled  vegetables. 

3d  Table.  Clear  or  bean  soup,  boiled  fish,  boiled 
vegetables,  a jar  of  slightly  modified  clear  soup,  and 
other  vegetables. 

Ni  no  zen. 

1st  Table.  Rice,  soup,  boiled  fish,  a jar  of  a differen* 
soup,  and  relishes. 

2d  Table.  Broiled  fish,  vegetables. 


244 


UNBEATEN  TRACKS  IN  JAPAK. 


Honzen. 

Rice,  soup,  broiled  fish,  raw  fish,  vegetables. 

These  bills  of  fare  seem  meagre,  but  such  a numbei 
of  dainties  are  comprised  under  the  head  relishes,  that 
each  table  probably  contains  from  eight  to  twelve  bowl? 
or  dishes. 

At  all  entertainments  sake,  or  rice-beer,  a straw-col- 
oured fluid  of  a faintish  taste  and  smell,  most  varieties 
of  which  contain  from  11  to  17.5  per  cent  of  alcohol, 
plays  an  important  part.  It  is  frequently  heated,  and 
is  taken  before  what  the  Japanese  consider  as  the  real 
repast. 

Before  an  entertainment,  fish,  either  on  a fine  lacquer 
or  porcelain  dish,  or  on  separate  tables,  is  served  with 
sake  to  each  guest,  and  is  known  by  the  name  of  sake 
no  sakana  or  “ accompaniment  to  sakS."  This  is  inde- 
pendent of  the  one,  two,  or  three  tables  of  the  feast. 
The  preparation  of  raw  fish  cut  into  oblong  strips  called 
sashimi  is  used  exclusively  for  this  purpose,  but  occa- 
sionally the  “ sake  accompaniment  ” consists  of  a large 
dish  containing  a preparation  of  fish,  boiled  quails,  and 
other  delicacies,  cut  up  and  piled  one  on  the  top  of 
another.  Before  this  preliminary,  tea  and  sweetmeats 
are  handed  round,  but  are  hardly  touched. 

A few  of  the  combinations  used  in  the  best  class  of 
Japanese  cookery  are  wild  duck,  dock  root,  equisetum, 
sea  perch,  lettuce,  turnips ; ferns,  sea  perch,  Aralia  cor- 
data;  crane,  Aralia  cordata,  mushrooms;  salt  pheasant, 
dock  root,  Aralia  cordata  ; cod,  white  fish,  greens  boiled 
in  sakS.  Any  three  of  these,  in  the  order  in  which  they 
are  given,  are  found  floating  together  in  the  soup. 

With  the  namasu,  or  thin  threads  of  raw  fish,  the 
adjuncts  are  sole,  shrimps,  chestnuts,  ginger,  daikon; 
orange,  sea  slug,  jelly-fish,  small  lobsters,  carrots,  om’ons, 


BEVEBAGES. 


245 


parsley,  and  scraped  daikon^  four  of  which  are  usually 
served  on  the  same  plate. 

With  the  sashimi,  or  oblong  strips  of  raw  fish,  the 
combinations  frequently  are  salmon,  mushrooms,  lemon 
juice,  carp,  cut  up  alive,  large  clams,  strong  sakS  in  a 
jar,  boiled  pheasant,  garlic  sauce.  With  Ayemono,  a 
vegetable  “ olla,”  Alaria  pinnatijida,  carrots,  mushrooms, 
leche  de  mer,  minced  beans,  muslirooms,  and  a kind  of 
horsetail.  These  and  other  combinations  in  cookery, 
as  with  us,  are  partly  determined  by  custom.^ 

The  only  drinks  in  common  use  are  tea,  hot  water, 
sake,  and  strockiu,  less  palatable  even  than  sake,  a form 
of  alcohol,  which  is  taken  cold  at  odd  hours  during  the 
hot  season.  Tea,  prepared  with  water  not  quite  boiling 
and  merely  poured  through  the  leaves,  is  the  beverage 
'.sually  taken  with  meals.  Tea  (chci)  and  sake  both 
. ake  the  honorific  before  their  names.  Usw-cha,  which 
is  made  of  powdered  tea  and  has  the  appearance  and 
consistency  of  pea-soup,  is  in  high  esteem  among  people 
rich  enough  to  afford  it.  It  is  served  both  before  and 
after  meals,  and  in  that  case  hot  water,  which  is  the 
ancient  national  beverage,  as  it  is  to  this  day  among 
the  Ainos,  accompanies  the  actual  food. 

It  will  be  seen  from  this  far  from  exhaustive  account, 
that  the  cuisine  of  the  “ well-to-do  ” Japanese  is  far  from 
despicable,  yet  there  is  something  about  their  dishes  so 
unpalatable  to  foreigners,  that  it  is  only  after  long  ex- 
perience that  any  Englishman,  otherwise  than  ruefully, 
swallows  Japanese  food.  The  diet  of  the  poorer  classes 
is  meagre  and  innutritions,  revolting  in  appearance  and 
taste,  and  the  quantities  of  sauces  and  pickles  with 

- For  tlic  menus,  combinations  in  cookery,  and  for  much  else,  I am 
Indebted  to  the  kindness  of  Mr.  Basil  Hall  Chamberlain,  of  the  Impe- 
rial Naval  College,  Tokiyo,  who,  although  an  accomplished  scholar, 
does  not  think  anything  beneath  him  which  is  in  any  way  illustrative  ot 
Japanese  life  and  customs. 


246 


UNBEATEN  TRACKS  IN  JAPAN. 


which  they  render  it  palatable  are  very  injurious  to  the 
digestive  organs.  Everything  which  can  be  used  for 
food  is  utilised  by  them.  They  even  make  a kind  of 
curd  or  jelly  from  the  water  in  which  rice  is  boiled.  In 
the  cities  the  essential  elements  of  the  diet  of  an  ordi- 
nary Japanese  are  rice,  fish,  and  pickled  daikon;  in  the 
interior  rice,  or  in  its  place  millet,  beans,  or  pease  and 
daikon.  A coolie’s  average  consumption  of  rice  daily 
is  two  lbs.  Of  the  luxuries  of  which  I have  written  I 
never  saw  any  on  my  northern  tour  — game  never,  and 
poultry  and  fresh  fish  very  rarely ; but  any  traveller 
wishing  to  acquaint  himself  with  the  delicacies  of  the 
Japanese  cuisine,  can  do  so  at  any  of  the  better  class  oi 
yadoyas  in  Yedo,  IviySto,  Osaka,  Otsu,  or  even  in  Yo- 
kohama itself. 


TEDIOUS  TRAVELLING. 


247 


DISCOMFORTS. 

The  Canal-side  at  Niigata  — Awful  Loneliness  — Courtesy  — Dr. 
Palm’s  Tandem  — A Noisy  Matsuri  — A Jolting  Journey  — The 
Moimtain  Villages  — Winter  Dismalness  — An  Out-of-the-world 
Hamlet  — Crowded  Dwellings  — Riding  a Cow  — “ Drunk  and  Dis- 
orderly”— An  Enforced  Rest  — Local  Discouragements  — Heavy 
Loads  — Absence  of  Beggary — Slow  Travelling. 

ICHiNONO,  July  12. 

Two  foreign  ladies,  two  fair-haired  foreign  infants,  a 
long-haired  foreign  dog,  and  a foreign  gentleman,  who, 
without  these  accompaniments,  might  have  escaped 
notice,  attracted  a large  but  kindly  crowd  to  the  canal 
side  when  I left  Niigata.  The  natives  bore  away  the 
children  on  their  shoulders,  the  Fysons  walked  to  the 
extremity  of  the  canal  to  bid  me  good-bye,  the  sampan 
shot  out  upon  the  broad,  swirling  flood  of  the  Shinano, 
and  an  awful  sense  of  loneliness  fell  upon  me.  We 
crossed  the  Shinano,  poled  up  the  narrow,  enbanked 
Shinkawa,  had  a desperate  struggle  with  the  flooded 
Aganokawa,  were  much  impeded  by  strings  of  nauseous 
manure-boats  on  the  narrow,  discoloured  Kajikawa, 
wondered  at  the  interminable  melon  and  cucumber 
fields,  and  at  the  odd  river  life,  and  after  hard  poling 
for  six  hours,  reached  Kisaki,  having  accomplished 
exactly  ten  miles.  Then  three  kurumas  with  trotting 
runners  took  us  twenty  miles  at  the  low  rate  of  4i  sen 
per  ri.  In  one  place  a board  closed  the  road,  but,  on 
representing  to  the  chief  man  of  the  village  that  the 
traveller  was  a foreigner,  he  courteously  allowed  me  to 


248 


UNBEATEN  TRACKS  IN  JAPAN. 


pass,  the  Express  Agent  having  accompanied  me  thus 
far  to  see  that  I “got  through  all  right.”  The  road  was 
tolerably  populous  throughout  the  day’s  journey,  and 
the  farming  villages  which  extended  much  of  the  way  — 
Tsuiji,  Kasayanage,  Mono,  and  Mari  — were  neat,  and 
many  of  the  farms  had  bamboo  fences  to  screen  them 
from  the  road.  It  was  on  the  whole  a pleasant  country, 
and  the  people,  though  little  clothed,  did  not  look 
either  poor  or  very  dirty.  The  soil  was  very  light  and 
sandy.  There  were  in  fact  “ pine  barrens,”  sandy 
ridges  with  nothing  on  them  but  spindly  Scotch  firs 
and  fir  scrub,  but  the  sandy  levels  between  them,  being 
heavily  manured  and  cultivated  like  gardens,  bore 
splendid  crops  of  cucumbers  trained  like  peas,  melons, 
vegetable  marrow.  Arum  esculentum,  sweet  potatoes, 
maize,  tea,  tiger-lilies,  beans,  and  onions ; and  extensive 
orchards  with  apples  and  pears  trained  laterally  on 
trellis-work  eight  feet  high,  were  a novelty  in  the  land- 
scape. 

Though  we  were  all  day  drawing  nearer  to  mountains 
wooded  to  their  summits  on  the  east,  the  amount  of  vege- 
tation was  not  burdensome,  the  rice  swamps  were  few, 
and  the  air  felt  drier  and  less  relaxing.  As  my  runners 
were  trotting  merrily  over  one  of  the  pine  barrens,  I 
met  Dr.  Palm  returning  from  one  of  his  medico-reH- 
gious  expeditions,  with  a tandem  of  two  naked  coolies 
who  were  going  over  the  ground  at  a great  pace,  and  I 
wished  that  some  of  the  most  staid  directors  of  the 
Edinburgh  Medical  Missionary  Society  could  have  the 
shock  of  seeing  him  ! I shall  not  see  a European  again 
for  some  weeks.  From  Tsuiji,  a very  neat  tillage,  where 
we  changed  kurumas,  we  were  jolted  along  over  a shingly 
road  to  Nakajo,  a considerable  town  just  within  treaty 
limits.  Tlie  Japanese  doctors  there,  as  in  some  other 
places,  are  Dr.  Palm’s  cordial  helpers,  and  five  or  six  of 


'‘SUNK  IN  BUDDHISM." 


249 


them,  whom  he  regards  as  possessing  the  rare  virtues  of 
candour,  earnestness,  and  single-miudedness,  and  who 
have  studied  English  medical  works,  have  clubbed  to 
gether  to  establish  a dispensary,  and  under  Dr.  Palm’s 
instructions  are  even  carrying  out  the  antiseptic  treat- 
ment successfully,  after  some  ludicrous  failures  ! 

Though  Nakajo  is  a Shinto  place,  I noticed  through- 
out the  day  indications  of  the  region  being  “ suuk  in 
Buddhism  ” — sweeping  roofs  of  temples  in  the  green- 
ery, wayside  shrines  with  many  ex  votos,  figures  of 
Buddha  by  the  road,  and  in  some  instances  prayers  were 
actually  being  said  before  the  shrines  by  men.  There 
were  other  novelties,  — large  tanks  for  the  preservation 
of  manure,  sunk  in  the  earth  and  covered  by  neatly 
thatched  roofs,  and  carts  with  heavy,  wooden  wheels 
without  tires,  drawn  by  men  and  women. 

We  dashed  through  Nakajo  as  kuruma  runners  always 
dash  through  towns  and  villages,  got  out  of  it  in  a 
drizzle  upon  an  avenue  of  firs,  three  or  four  deep,  which 
extends  from  Nakajo  to  Kurokawa,  and  for  some  miles 
beyond,  were  jolted  over  a damp  valley  on  which  tea 
and  rice  alternated,  crossed  two  branches  of  the  shin- 
gly Kurokawa  on  precarious  bridges,  rattled  into  the 
town  of  Kurokawa,  much  decorated  with  flags  and  lan- 
terns, where  the  people  were  all  congregated  at  a 
shrine  where  there  was  much  drumming,  and  a few  girls, 
much  painted  and  bedizened,  were  daneing  or  posturing 
on  a raised  and  covered  platform,  in  honour  of  the  god 
of  the  place,  whose  matsuri  or  festival  it  was ; and  out 
again,  to  be  mercilessly  jolted  under  the  flrs  in  the 
twilight  to  a solitary  house  where  the  owner  made  some 
difficulty  about  receiving  us,  as  his  license  did  not  be- 
gin till  the  next  day,  but  eventually  succumbed,  and 
gave  me  his  one  up  stairs  room,  exactly  five  feet  high, 
which  hardly  allowed  of  my  standing  upright  with  mji 


250 


UNBEATEN  TRACES  IN  JAPAN. 


hat  on.  He  then  rendered  it  suffocating  by  closing  the 
amado.,  for  the  reason  often  given,  that  if  he  left  them 
open  and  the  house  was  robbed,  the  police  would  not 
only  blame  him  severely,  but  would  not  take  any  trou- 
ble to  recover  his  property.  He  had  no  rice,  so  I in- 
dulged in  a feast  of  delicious  cucumbers.  I never  saw 
so  man}’  eaten  as  in  that  district.  Children  gnaw  them 
all  day  long,  and  even  babies  on  their  mothers’  backs 
suck  them  with  avidity.  Just  now  they  are  sold  for  a 
un  a dozen. 

It  is  a mistake  to  arrive  at  a yadoya  after  dark.  Even 
if  the  best  rooms  are  not  full  it  takes  fully  an  hour  to 
get  my  food  and  the  room  ready,  and  meanwhile  I can- 
not employ  my  time  usefully  because  of  the  mosquitoes. 
There  was  heavy  rain  all  night,  accompanied  by  the  first 
wind  that  I have  heard  since  landing,  and  the  fitful 
creaking  of  the  pines  and  the  drumming  from  the 
shrine  made  me  glad  to  get  up  at  sunrise,  or  rather  at 
daylight,  for  there  has  not  been  a sunrise  since  I came, 
or  a sunset  either.  That  day  we  travelled  by  Sekki  to 
Kawaguchi  in  kurumas,  i.e.  we  were  sometimes  bumped 
over  stones,  sometimes  deposited  on  the  edge  of  a quag- 
mire, and  asked  to  get  out ; and  sometimes  compelled 
to  walk  for  two  or  three  miles  at  a time  along  the  in- 
famous bridle-track  above  the  river  Arai,  up  which  two 
men  could  hardly  push  and  haul  an  empty  vehicle ; and 
as  they  often  had  to  lift  them  bodily  and  carry  them 
for  some  distance,  I was  really  glad  when  we  reached 
the  village  of  Kawaguchi  to  find  that  they  could  go  no 
farther,  though,  as  Ave  could  only  get  one  horse,  1 had 
to  walk  the  last  stage  in  a torrent  of  rain,  poorly  pro- 
tected by  my  paper  waterproof  cloak. 

We  are  now  in  the  midst  of  the  great  central  chain 
of  the  Japanese  mountains,  which  extends  almost  wdth- 
out  a break  for  900  miles,  and  is  from  40  to  100  miles 


WINTER  EVENINGS. 


251 


in  Width,  broken  up  into  interminable  ranges  traversa- 
ble only  by  steep  passes  from  1000  to  5000  feet  in 
height,  with  innumerable  rivers,  ravines,  and  valleys, 
the  heights  and  ravines  heavily  timbered,  the  rivers 
impetuous  and  liable  to  freshets,  and  the  valleys  invari- 
ably terraced  for  rice.  It  is  in  the  valleys  that  the  vil- 
lages are  found,  and  regions  more  isolated  I have  never 
seen,  shut  out  by  bad  roads  from  the  rest  of  Japan. 
The  houses  are  very  poor,  the  summer  costume  of  the 
men  consists  of  the  maro  only,  and  that  of  the  women 
of  trousers  with  an  open  shirt,  and  when  we  reached 
Kurosawa  last  night  it  had  dwindled  to  trousers  only. 
There  is  little  traflSc,  and  very  few  horses  are  kept,  one, 
two,  or  three  constituting  the  live  stock  of  a large  vil- 
lage. The  shops,  such  as  they  are,  contain  the  barest 
necessaries  of  life.  Millet  and  buckwheat  rather  than 
rice,  with  the  universal  daikon.,  are  the  staples  of  diet. 
The  climate  is  wet  in  summer  and  bitterly  cold  in 
winter.  Even  now  it  is  comfortless  enough  for  the 
people  to  come  in  wet,  just  to  warm  the  tips  of  their 
fingers  at  the  irori,  stifled  the  while  with  the  stinging 
smoke,  while  the  damp  wind  flaps  the  torn  paper  of  the 
windows  about,  and  damp  draughts  sweep  the  ashes 
over  the  tatami  until  the  house  is  hermetically  sealed  at 
night.  These  people  never  know  anything  of  what  we 
regard  as  comfort,  and  in  the  long  winter,  when  the 
wretched  bridle-tracks  are  blocked  by  snow  and  the 
freezing  wind  blows  strong,  and  the  families  huddle 
round  the  smoky  fire  by  the  doleful  glimmer  of  the 
andon.,  without  work,  books,  or  play,  to  shiver  through 
the  long  evenings  in  chilly  dreariness,  and  herd  together 
for  warmth  at  night  like  animals,  then-  condition  must 
be  as  miserable  as  anything  short  of  grinding  poverty 
can  make  it.  The  faces  in  this  region  impress  me  sadly 
as  dull  and  apathetic.  The  vacant  stare  of  the  women 


252 


UNBEATEN  TBACKS  IN  JAPAN. 


has  grown  more  vacant.  There  are  no  schools  in  these 
mountain  villages,  and  medical  advice,  except  of  the 
old  Chinese  school,  is  hard  to  get.  The  necessaries  of 
life  are  growing  dearer,  the  Government  machine  at 
TdkiyS  wants  much  costly  greasing,  the  tax-gatherer 
follows  the  harvest,  and  the  people  know  the  cost  of 
progress  with  few  of  its  blessings.  There  is  another 
side  to  the  picture  happily.  The  old  oppression  is  at 
an  end.  The  Government  is  doing  its  best  to  mitigate 
the  burden  of  taxation,  and  equalise  its  pressure,  the 
heads  of  families  are  peasant  proprietors,  there  are  no 
caste  distinctions,  the  rights  of  property  are  secure,  and 
no  “ contiguous  palace  ” mocks  by  its  pomp  and  luxury 
the  mean  houses  and  fare  of  the  peasantry. 

I saw  things  at  their  worst  that  night  as  I tramped 
into  the  hamlet  of  Numa,  down  whose  sloping  street  a 
swollen  stream  was  runnmg,  ■which  the  jDeople  were 
banking  out  of  their  houses.  I was  wet  and  tired,  and 
the  woman  at  the  one  wretched  yadoya  met  me,  saying, 
“ I’m  sorry  it’s  very  dirty  and  quite  unfit  for  so  honour- 
able a guest ; ” and  she  was  right,  for  the  one  room  was 
up  a ladder,  the  windows  were  in  tatters,  there  was  no 
charcoal  for  a hihacld,  no  eggs,  and  the  rice  Avas  so  dirty 
and  so  full  of  a small  black  seed  as  to  be  mifit  to  eat. 
Worse  than  all,  there  was  no  Transport  Office,  the 
hamlet  did  not  possess  a horse,  and  it  was  only  by  send- 
ing to  a farmer  five  miles  off,  and  by  much  bargaining, 
that  I got  on  the  next  morning.  In  estimating  the 
number  of  people  in  a given  number  of  houses  in  Japan, 
it  is  usual  to  multiply  the  houses  by  five,  bxit  I had  the 
curiosity  to  Avalk  through  Numa  and  get  Ito  to  trans- 
late the  tallies  which  hang  outside  all  Japanese  houses 
with  the  names,  number,  and  sexes  of  their  inmates, 
and  in  tAventy-four  houses  there  were  307  people ! In 
some  there  were  four  families,  the  grand-parents,  the 


RIDING  A COW. 


253 


parents,  the  eldest  son  with  his  wife  and  family,  and  a 
daughter  or  two  with  their  husbands  and  children. 
The  eldest  son,  who  inherits  the  house  and  land,  almost 
invariably  brings  his  wife  to  his  father’s  house,  where 
she  often  becomes  little  better  than  a slave  to  her 
mother-in-law.  By  rigid  custom  she  literally  forsakes 
her  own  kindred,  and  her  “ filial  duty  ” is  transferred  to 
her  husband’s  mother,  who  often  takes  a dislike  to  her, 
and  instigates  her  son  to  divorce  her  if  she  has  no  chil- 
dren. My  hostess  had  induced  her  son  to  divorce  his 
wife,  and  she  could  give  no  better  reason  for  it  than 
that  she  was  lazy. 

The  Numa  people,  she  said,  had  never  seen  a for- 
eigner, so,  though  the  rain  still  fell  heavily,  they  were 
astir  in  the  early  morning.  They  wanted  to  hear  me 
speak,  so  I gave  my  orders  to  Ito  in  public.  Yesterday 
was  a most  toilsome  day,  mainly  spent  in  stumbling  up 
and  sliding  down  the  great  passes  of  Futai,  Takanasu, 
and  Yenoiki,  all  among  forest-covered  mountains,  deeply 
cleft  by  forest-choked  ravines,  with  now  and  then  one 
of  the  snowy  peaks  of  Aidzu  breaking  the  monoton}' 
of  the  ocean  of  green.  The  horses’  shoes  were  tied  and 
untied  every  few  minutes,  and  we  made  just  a mile  an 
hour ! At  last  we  were  deposited  in  a most  unpromis- 
ing place  in  the  hamlet  of  Tamagawa,  and  were  told 
that  a rice  merchant,  after  v/aiting  for  three  days,  had 
got  every  horse  in  the  country.  At  the  end  of  two 
hours’  chaffering  one  baggage  coolie  was  produced,  some 
of  the  things  were  put  on  the  rice  horses,  and  a steed 
with  a pack-saddle  was  produced  for  me  in  the  shape  of 
a plump  and  pretty  little  cow,  which  carried  me  safel} 
over  the  magnificent  pass  of  Ori  and  down  to  the  town 
of  Okimi,  among  rice-fields,  where,  in  a drowning  rain, 
I was  glad  to  get  shelter  with  a number  of  coolies  by  a 
wood-fire  till  another  pack-cow  was  produced,  and  we 


264 


UNBEATEN  TRACKS  IN  JAPAN. 


walked  on  through  the  rice-fields  and  up  into  the  hillf! 
again  to  Kurosawa,  where  I had  intended  to  remain, 
hut  there  was  no  inn,  and  the  farm-house  where  thej 
take  in  travellers,  besides  being  on  the  edge  of  a mala- 
rious pond,  and  being  dark  and  full  of  stinging  smoke, 
was  so  awfully  dirty  and  full  of  living  creatures,  that, 
exhausted  as  I was,  I was  obliged  to  go  on.  But  it  was 
growing  dark,  there  was  no  Transport  Office,  and  for 
the  first  time  the  people  were  very  slightly  extortionate, 
and  drove  Ito  nearly  to  his  wits’  end.  The  peasants  do 
not  like  to  be  out  after  dark,  for  they  are  afraid  of 
ghosts  and  all  sorts  of  devilments,  and  it  was  cbfficult 
to  induce  them  to  start  so  late  in  the  evening. 

There  was  not  a house  clean  enough  to  rest  in,  so  I 
sat  on  a stone,  and  thought  about  the  people  for  over 
an  hour.  Children  with  scald-head,  scabies.,  and  sore 
eyes  swarmed.  Every  woman  carried  a baby  on  her 
back,  and  every  child  who  could  stagger  under  one 
carried  one  too.  Not  one  woman  wore  anything  but 
cotton  trousers.  One  woman  reeled  about  “ drunk  and 
disorderly.”  Ito  sat  on  a stone  hiding  his  face  in  his 
hands,  and  when  I asked  him  if  he  were  ill,  he  replied 
in  a most  lamentable  voice,  “ I don’t  know  what  I am 
to  do,  I’m  so  ashamed  for  you  to  see  such  things ! ” 
The  boy  is  only  eighteen,  and  I pitied  him.  I asked 
him  if  women  were  often  drunk,  and  he  said  they  were 
in  Yokohama,  but  they  usually  kept  in  their  houses. 
He  says  that  when  their  husbands  give  them  money  to 
pay  bills  at  the  end  of  a month,  they  often  spend  it  in 
ialcS,  and  that  they  sometimes  get  sake  in  shops  and 
liavc 't  put  down  as  rice  or  tea.  “ The  old  old  story ! ” 
I looked  at  the  dirt  and  barbarism,  and  asked  if  this 
were  the  Japan  of  which  I had  read.  Yet  a woman  in 
this  unseemly  costume  firmly  refused  to  take  the  2 or  3 
sen  which  it  is  usual  to  leave  at  a place  where  you  rest, 


LOCAL  DISCOURAGEMENTS. 


255 


because  she  said  that  I had  had  water  and  not  tea,  and 
after  I had  forced  it  on  her,  she  returned  it  to  Ito,  and 
this  redeeming  incident  sent  me  awa}"  much  comforted. 

From  Numa  the  distance  here  is  only  li  ri,  but  it  is 
over  the  steep  pass  of  Honoki,  which  is  ascended  and 
descended  by  himdreds  of  rude  stone  steps,  not  pleas- 
ant in  the  dark.  On  this  pass  I saw  birches  for  the  first 
time ; at  its  foot  we  entered  Yamagata  ken  by  a good 
bridge,  and  shortly  reached  this  village,  in  which  an  un- 
promising-looking farm-house  is  the  only  accommoda- 
tion ; but  though  all  the  rooms  but  two  are  taken  up 
with  silk-worms,  those  two  are  very  good  and  look  upon 
a miniature  lake  and  rockery.  The  one  objection  to 
my  room  is  that  to  get  either  in  or  out  of  it  I must  pass 
through  the  other,  which  is  occupied  by  five  tobacco 
merchants  who  are  waiting  for  transport,  and  who  while 
away  the  time  by  strumming  on  that  instrument  of  dis- 
may, the  samisen.  No  horses  or  cows  can  be  got  for 
.me,  so  I am  spending  the  day  quietly  here,  rather  glad 
to  rest,  for  I am  much  exhausted.  When  I am  suffer 
ing  much  from  my  spine  Ito  always  gets  into  a fright 
and  thinks  I am  going  to  die,  as  he  tells  me  when  I am 
better,  but  shows  his  anxiety  by  a short,  surly  manner, 
which  is  most  disagreeable.  He  thinks  we  shall  never 
get  through  the  interior  ! Mr.  Brunton’s  excellent  map 
fails  in  this  region,  so  it  is  only  by  fixing  on  the  well- 
known  city  of  Yamagata  and  devising  routes  to  it  that 
we  get  on.  Half  the  evening  is  spent  in  consulting 
Japanese  maps,  if  we  can  get  them,  and  in  questioning 
the  house-master  and  Transport  Agent,  and  any  chance 
travellers ; but  the  people  know  nothing  beyond  the 
distance  of  a few  ri,  and  the  agents  seldom  tell  one 
anything  beyond  the  next  stage.  When  I inquire 
about  the  “ unbeaten  tracks  ” that  I wish  to  take,  the 
answers  are  “ It’s  an  awful  road  through  mountains,’ 


256 


UNBEATEN  TRACKS  IN  JAPAN. 


or  “ There  are  many  bad  rivers  to  cross,”  or  “ There  are 
none  but  farmers’  houses  to  stop  at.”  No  encourage- 
ment is  ever  given,  but  we  get  on,  and  shall  get  on,  I 
doubt  not,  though  the  hardships  are  not  what  I would 
desire  in  my  present  state  of  health. 

Very  few  horses  are  kept  here.  Cows  and  coolies 
carry  much  of  the  merchandise,  and  women  as  well  as 
men  carry  heavy  loads.  A baggage  coolie  carries 
about  50  lbs.,  but  here  merchants  carrying  their  own 
goods  from  Yamagata  actually  carry  from  90  to  140 
lbs.,  and  even  more.  It  is  sickening  to  meet  these 
poor  fellows  struggling  over  the  mountain  passes  in 
evident  distress.  Last  night  five  of  them  were  resting 
on  the  summit  ridge  of  a pass  gasping  violently.  Their 
eyes  were  starting  out ; all  their  muscles,  rendered 
painfully  visible  by  their  leanness,  were  quivering  ; rills 
of  blood  from  the  bite  of  insects  which  they  cannot 
drive  away  were  literally  running  all  over  their  nakec 
bodies,  waslied  away  here  and  there  by  copious  perspi- 
ration. Truly  “ in  the  sweat  of  their  brows  ” they 
were  eating  bread  and  earning  an  honest  living  for 
their  families!  Sufferuig  and  hard-worked  as  they 
were,  they  were  quite  independent.  I have  not  seen  a 
beggar  or  beggary  in  this  strange  coimtry.  The  women 
were  carrying  70  lbs.  These  burden-bearers  have  their 
backs  covered  by  a thick  pad  of  plaited  straw.  On 
this  rests  a ladder,  curved  up  at  the  lower  end  like  the 
runners  of  a sleigh.  On  this  the  load  is  carefully 
packed  till  it  extends  from  below  the  man’s  waist  to 
a considerable  height  above  his  head.  It  is  covered 
with  waterproof  paper,  securely  roped,  and  thatched 
with  straw,  and  is  supported  by  a broad  padded  band 
just  below  the  collar  bones.  Of  course,  as  the  man 
walks  nearly  bent  double,  and  the  position  is  a very 
painful  one,  he  requires  to  stop  and  straighten  hirasel/ 


SLOW  TRAVELLING. 


257 


f^ef^uently,  and  unless  he  meets  with  a bank  of  conven- 
ient height,  he  rests  the  bottom  of  his  burden  on  a 
short,  stout  pole  with  an  L-shaped  top,  carried  for  this 
purpose.  The  carrying  of  enormous  loads  is  quite  a 
feature  of  this  region,  and  so,  I am  sorry  to  say,  are  red 
stinging  ants,  and  the  small  gad-flies  which  molest  the 
coolies. 

Yesterday’s  journey  was  18  miles  in  twelve  hours ! 
Icliinono  is  a nice  industrious  hamlet,  given  up,  like  all 
others,  to  rearing  silkworms,  and  the  pure  white  and 
sulphur  yellow  cocoons  are  drying  on  mats  in  the  sun 

everywhere.  I.  L.  B. 


258 


UNBEATEN  TRACKS  IN  JAPAN. 


A PROSPEROUS  DISTRICT. 


Comely  Kine — Japanese  Criticism  on  a Foreign  Usage — A Pleas- 
ant Halt  — Kenewed  Courtesies  — The  Plain  of  Tonezawa  — A 
Curious  Mistake  — The  Mother’s  ^ftfemorial  — The  Judgments  ol 
Hades  — Arrival  at  Komatsu  — Stately  Accommodation — Lati- 
tude in  Speech  — Silk  and  Silk  Culture  — A Vicious  Horse  — An 
Asiatic  Arcadia  — A Fashionable  Watering-place  — A Belle  — 
“Godowns” — The  God  of  Wealth. 

Kamixotama. 

A SEVEKFi  day  of  mountain  travelling  brought  us 
into  another  region.  We  left  Ichinono  early  on  a fine 
morning,  with  three  pack-cows,  one  of  whicli  I rode 
[and  their  calves],  very  comely  kine,  Avith  small  noses, 
short  horns,  straight  spines,  and  deep  bodies.  I thought 
that  I might  get  some  fresh  milk,  but  the  idea  of  any- 
thing but  a calf  milking  a cow  was  so  new  to  the  peo- 
ple that  there  was  a universal  laugh,  and  Ito  told  me 
that  they  thought  it  “ most  disgusting,”  and  that  the 
Japanese  tlnnk  it  “most  disgusting”  in  foreigners  to 
put  anything  “ with  such  a strong  smell  and  taste  ” 
into  their  tea ! All  the  cows  had  cotton  cloths,  printed 
with  blue  dragons,  suspended  under  their  bodies  tc 
Jceep  them  from  mud  and  insects,  and  they  wear  straw 
shoes,  and  cords  through  the  cartilages  of  their  noses. 
The  day  being  fine,  a great  deal  of  rice  and  sakS  was 
on  the  move,  and  we  met  hundreds  of  pack-cows,  all  of 
the  same  comely  breed,  in  strings  of  four. 

We  crossed  the  Sakiiratogd,  fi-om  which  the  %dew  is 
beautiful,  got  horses  at  the  mountain  village  of  Shi 


A I>ZEASAJVT  HALT. 


259 


rakasawa,  crossed,  more  passes,  and  in  the  afternoon 
reached  the  village  of  Tenoko.  There,  as  usual,  I sat 
under  the  verandah  of  the  Transport  Office,  and  waited 
for  the  one  horse  which  was  available.  It  was  a large 
shop,  but  contained  not  a single  article  of  European 
make.  In  the  one  room  a group  of  women  and  chd- 
di’en  sat  round  the  fire,  and  the  agent  sat  as  usual  with 
a number  of  ledgers  at  a table  a foot  high,  on  which  his 
grandchild  was  lying  on  a cushion.  Here  Ito  dmed  on 
seven  dishes  of  horrors,  and  they  brought  me  sa/ce,  tea, 
rice,  and  black  beans.  The  last  are  very  good.  We 
had  some  talk  about  the  country,  and  the  man  asked 
me  to  write  his  name  in  English  characters,  and  to 
write  my  own  in  a book.  Meanwhile  a crowd  assem- 
bled, and  the  front  row  sat  on  the  ground  that  the 
others  might  see  over  their  heads.  They  were  dirty 
and  pressed  very  close,  and  when  the  women  of  the 
house  saw  that  I felt  the  heat  they  gracefully  produced 
fans  and  fanned  me  for  a whole  hour.  On  asking  the 
charge,  they  refused  to  make  any,  and  would  not  re- 
ceive anything.  They  had  not  seen  a foreigner  before, 
they  said,  they  would  despise  themselves  for  taking 
anjdhing,  they  had  my  “ honourable  name  ” in  their 
book.  Not  only  that,  but  they  put  up  a parcel  of 
sweetmeats,  and  the  man  wrote  his  name  on  a fan  and 
insisted  on  my  accepting  it.  I was  grieved  to  have 
nothing  to  give  them  but  some  English  pins,  but  they 
had  never  seen  such  before,  and  soon  circulated  them 
among  the  crowd.  I told  them  truly  that  I should 
remember  them  as  long  as  I remember  Japan,  and 
went  on-,  much  touched  by  their  kindness. 

The  lofty  pass  of  Utsu,  which  is  ascended  and  de- 
scended by  a number  of  stone  slabs,  is  the  last  of  the 
passes  of  these  choked-up  ranges.  From  its  summit  in 
the  welcome  sunlight  I joyfully  looked  down  upon  the 


260 


UNBEATEN  TEACKS  IN  JAPAN. 


noble  plain  of  Yonezawa,  about  30  miles  long  and  from 
10  to  18  broad,  one  of  the  gardens  of  Japan,  wooded 
and  watered,  covered  with  prosperous  towns  and  vil- 
lages, surrounded  by  magnificent  mountains  not  alto- 
gether timbered,  and  bounded  at  its  southern  extremity 
by  ranges  white  with  snow  even  in  the  middle  cf  July. 

In  the  long  street  of  the  farming  village  of  Matsuhara 
a man  amazed  me  by  running  in  front  of  me  and  speak 
ing  to  me,  and  !on  Ito  coming  up,  he  assailed  him 
vociferously,  and  it  turned  out  that  he  took  me  for  an 
Aino,  one  of  the  subjugated  aborigines  of  Yezo.  I 
have  before  now  been  taken  for  a Chinese ! 

Throughout  the  province  of  Echigo  I have  occasion- 
ally seen  a piece  of  cotton  cloth  suspended  by  its  four 
corners  from  four  bamboo  poles  just  above  a quiet 
stream.  Behind  it  there  is  usually  a long  narrow  tablet, 
notched  at  the  top,  similar  to  those  seen  in  cemeteries, 
with  characters  upon  it.  Sometimes  bouquets  of  flowers 
are  placed  in  the  hollow  top  of  each  bamboo,  and 
usually  there  are  characters  on  the  cloth  itself.  With- 
in it  always  lies  a wooden  dipper.  In  coming  down 
from  Tenoko  I passed  one  of  these  close  to  the  road, 
and  a Buddhist  priest  was  at  the  time  pouring  a dippei 
full  of  water  into  it,  which  strained  slowly  through. 
As  he  was  going  our  way  we  joined  him,  and  he 
explained  its  meaning. 

According  to  him  the  tablet  bears  on  it  the  Tcaimiyd, 
or  posthumous  name  of  a woman.  The  flowers  have 
the  same  significance  as  those  which  lo\dng  hands  place 
on  the  graves  of  kindred.  If  there  are  characters  on 
the  cloth,  they  represent  the  well-knovni  invocation  of 
the  Nichiren  sect,  Namu  mid  hd  ren  ge  hid.  The  pour- 
ing of  the  water  into  the  cloth,  often  accompanied  by 
telling  the  beads  on  a rosary,  is  a prayer.  The  whole 
Is  called  “ The  Flowing  Invocation.”  I have  seldom 


THE  MOTHER’S  MEMORIAL. 


26J 


seen  anything  more  plaintively  affecting,  for  it  denotes 
that  a mother  in  the  first  joy  of  maternity  has  passed 
away  to  suffer  (according  to  popular  belief)  in  the  Lake 
of  Blood,  one  of  the  Buddhist  hells,  for  a sin  committed 
in  a former  state  of  being,  and  it  appeals  to  every 
passer-by  to  shorten  the  penalties  of  a woman  in 


anguish,  for  in  that  lake  she  must  remain  until  tlie 
cloth  is  so  utterly  worn  out  that  the  water  falls  through 
it  at  once. 

I have  rarely  passed  the  “ Flowing  Invocation  ” with- 
out seeing  some  wayfarer  fill  and  empty  the  dipper,  and 
even  Ito,  sceptic  as  he  is,  never  neglects  to  do  the  same. 
In  order  to  produce  the  liberation  of  a soul  in  tciment, 


262 


UNBEATEN  TRACES  IN  JAPAN. 


it  is  essential  that  the  cloth  be  bought  at  a temple. 
There  the  priest’s  information  ceased,  but  Ito  tells  me 
that  rich  people  can  buy  a cloth  dexterously  scraped 
thin  in  the  middle,  which  lets  the  water  through  in  a 
few  days,  while  the  poor  man  has  to  content  himself 
with  a closely  woven  cotton,  which  wears  out  with 
painful  slowness.  There  are  plenty  of  similar  instances 
of  the  sordidness  of  priestcraft,  so  many  that  there  is  a 
common  saymg  among  the  Japanese,  “The  judgments 
of  Hades  depend  on  money.”  Other  resemblances  to 
the  Romish  system  of  paying  for  masses  occur  in  several 
forms  in  Buddhism,  as  for  instance  in  the  first  and 
seventh  months  numbers  of  people  visit  temples  in 
which  there  are  idols  of  Yemma,  the  Lord  of  Hell,  for 
the  purpose  of  relieving  the  souls  of  friends  who  are 
suffering  the  pains  of  purgatory,  and  Yemma  is  ex- 
pected to  cancel  the  misdeeds  which  are  recorded  in 
his  book  in  exact  proportion  to  the  sums  paid  to  the 
priests. 

Where  the  mountains  come  down  upon  the  plain  of 
Yonezawa,  there  are  several  raised  banks,  and  you  can 
take  one  step  from  the  hill-side  to  a dead  level.  The  soil 
is  dry  and  gravelly  at  the  junction,  ridges  of  pines  ap- 
peared, and  the  look  of  the  houses  suggested  increased 
cleanlmess  and  comfort.  A walk  of  six  miles  took  us 
from  Tenoko  to  Komatsu,  a beautifully  situated  town 
of  3000  people,  with  a large  trade  in  cotton  goods,  silk, 
and  sake. 

As  I entered  Komatsu,  the  first  man  who  I met 
turned  back  hastily,  called  into  the  first  house  tlie 
words  which  mean  “ Quick,  here’s  a foreigner ; ” the 
three  carpenters  who  were  at  work  there  flung  down 
their  tools,  and,  without  waiting  to  put  on  their  kimonos, 
sped  down  the  street  calling  out  the  news,  so  that  by 
the  time  I reached  the  yadoya  a large  crowd  was  press- 


S TA  TEL  Y A CCOMM  OB  A TION. 


2G3 


Lng  upon  me.  The  front  was  mean  and  unpromising- 
looking,  but  on  reaching  the  back  by  a stone  bridge 
over  a stream  which  ran  througli  the  house,  I found  a 
room  40  feet  long  by  15  high,  entirely  open  along  one 
side  to  a garden  with  a large  fishpond  with  goldfish,  a 
pagoda,  dwarf  trees,  and  all  the  usual  miniature  adorn 
ments.  Fusuma  of  wrinkled  blue  paper  splashed  with 
gold  turned  this  “ gallery  ” into  two  rooms ; but  there 
was  no  privacy,  for  the  crowds  climbed  upon  the  roofs 
at  the  back,  and  sat  there  patiently  until  night. 

These  were  daimiyu' s rooms.  The  posts  and  ceilings 
were  ebony  and  gold,  the  mats  very  fine,  the  polished 
alcoves  decorated  with  inlaid  writing-tables  and  sword 
racks ; spears  nine  feet  long,  with  handles  of  lacquer 
inlaid  with  Venus’s  ear,  hung  in  the  verandah,  the  wash- 
ing bowl  was  fine  inlaid  black  lacquer,  and  the  rice- 
bowls  and  their  covers  were  gold  lacquer. 

In  this  as  in  many  other  yadoyas  there  were  kakemonos 
with  large  Chinese  characters  representing  the  names  of 
tlie  Prime  Minister,  Provincial  Govei'nor,  or  distin- 
guished General,  who  had  honoured  it  by  halting  there, 
and  lines  of  poetry  were  hung  up,  as  is  usual,  in  the 
same  fashion.  I have  several  times  been  asked  to  write 
something  to  be  thus  displayed.  I spent  Sunday  at 
Komatsu,  but  not  restfuUy,  owing  to  the  nocturnal 
croaking  of  the  frogs  in  the  pond.  In  it,  as  in  most 
towns,  there  were  shops  which  sell  nothing  but  white, 
frothy-looking  cakes,  which  are  used  for  the  goldfish 
which  are  so  much  prized,  and  three  times  daily  the 
women  and  children  of  the  household  came  into  the 
garden  to  feed  them. 

The  questions  which  the  women  everywhere  put  to 
me  through  Ito  about  things  at  home  are  most  surpris- 
ing, and  show  a latitude  of  speech  very  offensive  to 
English  ideas  of  delicacy,  yet  it  would  be  quite  unfair 


261 


UNBEATEN  TRACKS  IN  JAPAN. 


to  judge  of  their  morals  either  by  such  speech,  or  by 
many  things  in  their  habits  which  are  at  variance  with 
our  own.  My  impression  is  that  the  married  women 
are  virtuous  and  faithful,  that  the  men  are  just  the 
reverse,  and  that  the  children,  who  hear  from  their 
infancy  the  loose  conversation  of  their  parents,  grow 
up  without  that  purity  and  innocence  which  are  among 
the  greatest  charms  of  children  at  home. 

Silk  is  everywhere ; silk  occupies  the  best  rooms  of 
all  the  houses ; silk  is  the  topic  of  everybody’s  talk ; the 
region  seems  to  live  by  silk.  One  has  to  walk  warily  in 
many  villages  lest  one  should  crush  the  cocoons  which 
are  exposed  upon  mats,  and  look  so  temptingly  like 
almond  comfits.  The  house-master  took  me  to  a silk- 
farm,  where  the  farmer  both  raises  the  eggs  [which  are 
exported  from  Japan  annually  to  the  amount  of  three 
million  dollars]  and  fine  silk.  For  the  eggs  the  cocoons 
are  ranged  in  shallow  basket  trays  for  twelve  or  four- 
teen days,  at  the  end  of  which  tune  the  chrysalis  changes 
into  a small  white  moth  of  mean  appearance.  From 
100  to  130  moths  are  then  placed  on  a card,  which  in 
twelve  hours  is  covered  with  eggs,  and  is  hung  up  by 
a string  till  the  autumn.  The  cards  are  then  packed  in 
boxes,  and  the  eggs  are  hatched  the  followdiig  spring. 
The  best  cards  from  tliis  district  bring  3^  yen  each. 
The  silk  season  here  begins  in  early  April  by  the  cards 
being  hung  up.  In  about  twenty-two  days  the  worms 
appear.  The  women  watch  them  most  carefully,  pla- 
cing the  cards  on  paper  in  basket  trays,  and  brushing 
them  each  morning  with  a feather  for  three  days,  till  all 
the  worms  are  hatched.  The  mulberr)^  leaves  with 
which  they  are  fed  are  minced  very  fine  and  sifted,  so 
as  to  get  rid  of  leaf  fibre,  and  are  then  mixed  with 
millet  bran.  The  worms  on  being  removed  from  the 
paper  are  placed  on  clean  basket  trays  over  a layer  of 


SILK  AND  SILK  CULTURE. 


265 


matting.  They  pass  through  four  sleeps,  the  first  oc> 
during  ten  days  after  hatching.  The  interval  between 
the  three  remaining  sleeps  is  from  six  to  seven  days. 
For  these  sleeps  the  most  careful  preparations  are  made 
by  the  attendants.  Food  is  usually  given  five  times  a 
da}'',  but  in  hot  weather  as  many  as  eight  times,  and  as 
the  worms  grow  bigger  their  food  grows  coarser,  till  after 
the  fourth  sleep  the  leaves  are  given  whole.  The  quan- 
tity is  measimed  with  great  nicety,  as  the  worms  must 
neither  be  starved  nor  gorged.  Great  cleanliness  is 
necessary,  and  an  equable  temperature,  or  disease  arises ; 
and  the  watching  by  day  and  night  is  so  incessant,  that, 
during  the  season,  the  women  can  do  little  else.  After 
the  fourth  sleep  the  worms  soon  cease  to  feed,  and  when 
they  are  observed  to  be  looking  for  a place  to  spin  in, 
the  best  are  picked  out  and  placed  on  a straw  contriv- 
ance, on  which  they  spin  their  cocoons  in  three  days. 
When  the  cocoons  are  intended  for  silk  they  are  laid 
out  in  the  sun  on  trays  for  three  days,  and  this  kills  the 
chrysalis. 

In  almost  every  house  front  that  I pass  women  are 
engaged  in  reeling  silk.  In  this  process  the  cocoons  are 
kept  in  hot  water  in  a copper  basin,  to  the  edge  of 
which  a ring  of  horsehair  or  a hook  of  very  fine  wire  is 
attached.  For  the  finest  silk,  the  threads  of  five  or  six 
cocoons  are  lifted  up  and  passed  through  the  ring  to  the 
reel  with  the  first  and  second  fingers  of  the  left  hand, 
the  right  hand  meanwhile  trmning  the  handle  of  the  reel. 
Much  expertness  is  required.  The  water  used  must  be 
very  pure,  and  is  always  filtered  before  it  is  used,  or  the 
silk  loses  its  natural  gloss. 

When  I left  Kumatsu  there  were  fully  sixty  people 
inside  the  house  and  1500  outside,  walls,  verandahs,  and 
even  roofs  being  packed.  From  NikkO  to  Kumatsu 
mares  had  been  exclusively  used,  but  there  I encountered 


266 


UNBEATEN  TRACKS  IN  JAPAN. 


for  the  first  time  the  terrible  Japanese  pack-horse.  Two 
horridly  fierce-looking  creatures  were  at  the  door,  with 
their  heads  tied  down  till  then-  necks  were  completely 
arched.  When  I mounted,  the  crowd  followed,  gather- 
ing as  it  went,  frightening  the  horse  with  the  clatter  of 
clogs  and  the  sound  of  a multitude,  till  he  broke  his 
head  rope,  and  the  frightened  ma()o  letting  him  go,  he 
proceeded  down  the  street  mainly  on  his  liuid  feet, 
squealing,  and  striking  savagely  with  his  fore  feet,  the 
crowd  scattering  to  the  right  and  left,  till,  as  it  surged 
past  the  police  station,  four  policemen  came  out  and  ar- 
rested it,  only  to  gather  again,  however,  for  there  was  a 
longer  street  down  which  my  horse  proceeded  in  the 
same  fashion,  and  looking  round,  I saw  Ito’s  horse  on  his 
hind  legs  and  Ito  on  the  ground.  My  beast  jumped  over 
all  ditches,  attacked  all  foot-passengers  with  his  teeth, 
and  behaved  so  like  a wild  animal  that  not  all  my  pre^d- 
ous  acquaintance  with  the  idiosyncrasies  of  horses  en- 
abled me  to  cope  with  him.  On  reaching  Akayu  we 
found  a horse  fair,  and  as  all  the  horses  had  their  heads 
tightly  tied  down  to  posts,  they  could  only  squeal  and 
lash  out  with  their  hind  feet,  which  so  provoked  our  ani- 
mals that  the  baggage  horse,  by  a series  of  jerks  and  rear- 
ings,  divested  himself  of  Ito  and  most  of  the  baggage, 
and  as  I dismounted  from  mine,  he  stood  upright,  and 
my  foot  catching,  I fell  on  the  ground,  when  he  made 
several  vicious  dashes  at  me  "with  his  teeth  and  fore  feel, 
which  were  happily  frustrated  b}^  the  dexterity  of  some 
mago.  These  beasts  forcibly  remind  me  of  the  words, 
“ Whose  mouth  must  be  held  with  bit  and  bridle,  lest 
they  turn  and  fall  upon  thee.” 

It  was  a lovely  summer  day,  though  very  hot,  and  the 
snowy  peaks  of  Aidzu  scarcely  looked  cool  as  they  glit- 
tered in  the  sunlight.  The  plain  of  Yonezawa,  with  the 
prosperous  town  of  Yonezawa  in  the  south,  and  the  fre 


AN  ASIATIC  ARCADIA. 


267 


quented  watering-place  of  Akayu  in  the  north,  is  a per> 
feet  garden  of  Eden,  “ tilled  with  a pencil  instead  of  a 
plough,”  growing  in  rich  profusion,  rice,  cotton,  maize, 
tobacco,  hemp,  indigo,  beans,  egg  plants,  walnuts,  mel- 
ons, cucumbers,  persimmons,  apricots,  pomegranates ; a 
smiling  and  plenteous  land,  an  Asiatic  Arcadia,  prosper- 
ous and  independent,  all  its  bounteous  acres  belonging 
to  those  who  cultivate  them,  who  live  under  their  vines, 
figs,  and  pomegranates,  free  from  oppression  — a remark- 
able spectacle  under  an  Asiatic  despotism.  Yet  still 
Daikoku  is  the  chief  deity,  and  material  good  is  the  one 
object  of  desire. 

It  is  an  enchanting  region  of  beauty,  industry,  and 
comfort,  mountain  girdled,  and  watered  by  the  bright 
Matsuka.  Everywhere  there  are  prosperous  and  beau- 
tiful farming  villages,  Avith  large  houses  with  carved 
beams  and  ponderous  tiled  roofs,  each  standing  in  its 
own  grounds,  buried  among  persimmons  and  pomegran- 
ates, with  flower-gardens  under  trellised  vines,  and 
privacy  secured  by  high,  closely-clipped  screens  of  pome- 
granate and  cr}q)tomeria.  Besides  the  villages  of  Yo- 
shida,  Semoshima,  KurokaAva,  Takayama,  and  Takataki, 
through  or  near  Avhich  we  passed,  I counted  over  fifty 
on  the  plain  with  their  broAvn,  sweeping  barn  roofs  look- 
ing out  from  the  woodland.  In  every  one  there  are  two 
poles  over  30  feet  high  for  white  bannerets,  Avhich  are 
inscribed  with  the  name  of  the  Aullage  god,  and  are  put 
up  on  his  matsuri  or  festival  day,  and  from  the  number 
of  these  visible  among  the  trees,  it  seemed  as  if  half  the 
villages  were  keeping  holiday.  The  monotonous  sound 
of  drumming  filled  the  air,  the  girl  children  were  all 
much  painted,  and  large  lanterns,  with  the  characters 
representing  the  god,  Avere  hanging  under  all  eaves,  in 
preparation  for  the  evening  illuminations.  The  village 
of  Yoshida,  in  which  I saw  the  process  of  silk  raising, 


268 


UNBEATEN  TRACKS  IN  JAPAN. 


is  the  most  beautiful  and  prosperous  of  all ; but  even 
there  there  was  not  a man  or  woman  who  did  not  work 
with  his  or  her  own  hands,  and  semi-nudity  among  the 
adults  was  as  common  as  in  the  mountain  'dllages, 
though  the  cMldren,  especially  the  girls,  were  elaborate- 
ly dressed  in  silk  fabrics,  and  wore  a good  deal  of  scarlet. 
I cannot  see  any  differences  in  the  style  of  cultivation. 
Yoshida  is  rich  and  prosperous-looking,  Numa  poor  and 
wretched-looking,  but  the  scanty  acres  of  Numa,  rescued 
from  the  mountain-sides,  are  as  exquisitely  trim  and 
neat,  as  perfectly  cultivated,  and  yield  as  abundantly  of 
the  crops  which  suit  the  climate,  as  the  broad  acres  of 
the  sunny  plain  of  Yonezawa,  and  this  is  the  case  every- 
where. “ The  field  of  the  sluggard  ” has  no  existence  in 
Japan. 

We  rode  for  four  hours  through  these  beautiful  vil- 
lages on  a road  four  feet  wide,  and  then,  to  my  surprise, 
after  ferrying  a river,  emerged  at  Tsukuno  upon  what 
appears  on  the  map  as  a secondary  road,  but  which  is 
in  reality  a main  road  25  feet  wide,  well  kept,  trenched 
on  both  sides,  and  with  a line  of  telegraph  poles  along 
it.  It  was  a new  world  at  once.  The  road  for  many 
miles  was  tlironged  with  well-dressed  foot-passengers, 
Jcurumas,  pack-horses,  and  waggons  either  with  solid 
wheels,  or  wheels  with  spokes  but  no  tires.  It  is  a cap- 
ital carriage-road,  but  without  carriages.  In  such  civ- 
ilised circumstances  it  was  curious  to  see  two  or  four 
brown  skinned  men  pulling  the  carts,  and  quite  often  a 
man  and  his  wife  — the  man  unclothed,  and  the  woman 
unclothed  to  her  waist  — doing  the  same.  Also  it  struck 
me  as  incongruous  to  see  telegraph  wires  above,  and  be- 
low, men  whose  only  clothing  consisted  of  a sun-hat  and 
fan  ; while  cliildren  with  books  and  slates  were  return- 
ing from  school,  conning  their  lessons. 

At  Akayu,  a town  of  hot  sulphur  springs,  I hoped  to 


A FASHIONABLE  WATERING-PLACE. 


269 


sleep,  but  it  was  one  of  the  noisiest  places  I have  .seen. 
In  the  most  crowded  part,  whefe  four  streets  meet,  there 
are  bathing  sheds,  which  were  full  of  people  of  both 
sexes,  splashing  loudly,  and  the  yadoya  close  to  it  had 
about  forty  rooms,  in  nearly  all  of  which  several  rheu- 
matic people  were  lying  on  the  mats,  samisens  were 
twanging,  and  kotos  screeching,  and  the  hubbub  was  so 
unbearable  that  I came  on  here,  ten  miles  farther,  by  a 
fine  new  road,  up  an  uninteresting  strath  of  rice-fields 
and  low  hills,  which  opens  out  upon  a small  plain  sur- 
rounded by  elevated  gravelly  hills,  on  the  slope  of  one 
of  which  Kaminoyama,  a watering-place  of  over  3000 
people,  is  pleasantly  situated.  It  is  keeping  festival ; 
there  are  lanterns  and  flags  on  every  house,  and  crowds 
are  thronging  the  temple  grounds,  of  which  there  are 
several  on  the  hills  above.  It  is  a clean,  dry  place, 
with  beautiful  yadoyas  on  the  heights,  and  pleasant 
houses  with  gardens,  and  plenty  of  walks  over  the  hills. 
The  people  say  that  it  is  one  of  the  driest  places  in 
Japan.  If  it  were  within  reach  of  foreigners,  they 
would  find  it  a wholesome  health  resort,  with  pictur- 
esque excursions  in  many  directions. 

This  is  one  of  the  great  routes  of  Japanese  travel,  and 
it  is  interesting  to  see  watering-places  with  their  habits, 
amusements,  and  civilisation  quite  complete,  but  bor- 
rowing nothing  from  Europe.  The  hot  springs  here 
contain  iron,  and  are  strongly  impregnated  with  sul- 
phuretted hydrogen.  I tried  the  temperature  of  three, 
and  found  them  100°,  105°,  and  107°. ' They  are  sup- 
posed to  be  very  valuable  in  rheumatism,  and  they  at- 
tract visitors  from  great  distances.  The  police,  who  are 
my  frequent  informants,  tell  me  that  there  are  nearly 
600  people  now  staying  here  for  the  benefit  of  the  baths, 
of  which  six  daily  are  usually  taken.  I think  that  in 
rheumatism,  as  in  some  other  maladies,  the  old-fashioned 


270 


UNBEATEN  TRACKS  IN  JAPAN. 


Japanese  doctors  pay  little  attention  to  diet  and  habits, 
and  much  to  drugs  and  external  applications.  The  ben- 
efit of  these  and  other  medicinal  waters  would  be  much 
increased  if  vigorous  friction  replaced  the  dabbing  with 
soft  towels. 


THE  BELLE  OP  KAMINOTAMA. 


This  is  a large  yadoya,  very  full  of  strangers,  and  the 
house-mistress,  a buxom  and  most  prepossessing  widow, 
has  a truly  exquisite  hotel  for  bathers  higher  up  the 
hill.  She  has  eleven  children,  two  or  three  of  whom 
are  tall,  handsome,  and  graceful  girls.  One  blushed 


“ OODOWNS.’> 


271 


deeply  at  my  evident  admiration,  but  was  not  displeased, 
and  took  me  up  the  hill  to  see  the  temples,  baths,  and 
yadoyas  of  this  very  attractive  place.  I am  much  de- 
lighted with  her  grace  and  savoir  faire.  I asked  the 
widow  how  long  she  had  kept  the  inn,  and  she  proudly 
answered,  “ Three  hundred  years,”  not  an  uncommon 
instance  of  the  heredity  of  occupations. 

My  accommodation  is  unique,  a kura^  or  godowii.  in 
a large  conventional  garden,  in  which  is  a bath-house 
which  receives  a hot  spring  at  a temperature  of  105°, 
in  which  I luxuriate.  Last  night  the  mosquitoes  were 
awful.  If  the  widow  and  her  handsome  girls  had  not 
fanned  me  perseveringly  for  an  hour,  I should  not  have 
been  able  to  write  a line.  My  new  mosquito  net  suc- 
ceeds admh’ably,  and  when  I am  once  within  it  I rather 
enjoy  the  disappointment  of  the  hundreds  of  drumming 
bloodthirsty  wi-etches  outside. 

The  widow  tells  me  that  house-masters  pay  2 yen 
once  for  all  for  the  sign,  and  an  annual  tax  of  2 yen  on 
a first-class  yadoya^  1 yen  for  a second,  and  50  cents  for 
a third,  with  5 yen  for  the  license  to  sell  sake. 

These  “godowns”  (from  the  hlalay  word  gadong'), 
or  fireproof  storehouses,  are  one  of  the  most  marked 
features  of  Japanese  towns,  both  because  they  are 
white  where  all  else  is  grey,  and  because  they  are  solid 
where  all  else  is  perishable.  Hotels,  shops,  and  middle 
class  (if  there  be  a middle  class)  houses  have  their  own 
kuras.,  but  for  the  poorer  classes  and  in  villages  there 
are  kuras  in  which  people  can  hu'e  the  security  needed. 
Nobody  keeps  anything  of  value  in  his  own  inflamma- 
ble dwelling.  Several  times  I have  seen  a whole  dis- 
trict burned  to  the  ground,  leaving  only  a few  ashes, 
and  the  kuras  standing  unharmed,  except  by  the  smoke. 
They  are  all  on  one  model,  and  have  a handsome 
appearance  as  contrasted  with  the  houses.  The  founda 


272 


UNBEATEN  TRACKS  IN  JAPAN. 


tions  are  of  stone,  on  which  a tolerably  solid  wooden 
frame-work  is  constructed,  which  is  covered  with  from 
twenty-five  to  fifty  coats  of  mud  plaster.  A plaster 
roof  of  considerable  thickness  is  placed  upon  these 
walls,  and  above  that,  leaving  a space  of  a foot,  a hand- 
some tiled  one.  The  doors  and  window  shuttere  are 


DAIKOETJ. 

iron  or  bronze,  solid  and  handsome,  much  like  the  doors 
of  Chubb’s  fireproof  safes,  except  in  a few  cases,  in 
which  they  are  made  of  wood  thickly  coated  with  plas- 
ter. The  outside  of  the  building  is  coated  with  chunam^ 
a pure  white  cement. 

I am  lodged  in  the  lower  part,  but  the  iron  doors  are 
open,  and  in  their  place  at  night  is  a paper  screen.  A 


THE  GOD  OF  WEALTH. 


273 


few  things  are  kept  in  my  room.  Two  handsome 
shrines  from  which  the  unemotional  faces  of  two 
Buddhas  looked  out  all  night,  a fine  figure  of  the  god- 
dess Kwan-non,  and  a venerable  one  of  the  god  of  lon- 
gevity suggested  curious  dreams.  You  will  remember 
that  I mentioned  two  gigantic  figures,  the  Ni-S,  as  guard- 
ing the  gateways  of  the  temples.  I have  noticed  small 
prints  of  these  over  the  doors  of  almost  all  the  houses, 
and  over  the  kura  doors  also.  It  seems  that  these 
prints  are  put  up  as  a protection  against  burglars. 
Near  the  yadoya  entrance  there  is  the  largest  figure  of 
Daikoku,  the  god  of  wealth,  that  I have  yet  seen, 
though  I cannot  recall  a house  in  which  he  does  not 
appear  in  larger  or  smaller  form.  He  is  jolly  and 
roguish-looking  usually,  as  indeed  the  god  may  be  who 
leads  all  men,  and  fools  most.  He  is  short  and  stout, 
wears  a cap  like  the  cap  of  liberty,  is  seated  on  rice 
bags,  holds  a mallet  in  his  right  hand,  and  with  the  left 
grasps  tightly  a large  sack  which  he  carries  over  his 
shoulders.  The  moral  taught  by  this  figure  has  long 
smce  been  forgotten.  It  teaches  humility  by  its  low 
stature.  Its  bag  represents  wealth,  requiring  to  be 
firmly  held  when  attained.  The  cap  partly  shades  the 
eyes,  to  keep  them  bent  down  on  the  realities  of  life. 
The  mallet  represents  manual  labour,  and  the  rice-bags 
the  riches  to  be  acquired  by  following  the  rules  which 
raise  the  lowly ! Traders,  farmers,  and  all  who  have 
their  living  to  make,  incessantly  propitiate  Daikoku, 
and  he  is  never  without  offerings  and  incense . 


I.  L.  B 


274 


UNBEATEN  TRACKS  IN  JAPAN. 


A JAPANESE  DOCTOR. 

Prosper!  ty  — Convict  Labour  — A New  Bridge  — Y amagata  — Intoxi 
eating  Forgeries  — The  Government  Buildings — Bad  Manners 
A Filature  — Snow  Mountains  — A Wretched  Town. 

Kan  A YAM  A,  July  16. 

Three  days  of  travelling  on  the  same  excellent  road 
have  brought  me  nearly  60  miles.  Yamagata  ken  im- 
presses me  as  being  singularly  prosperous,  progressive, 
and  go-ahead ; the  plain  of  Yamagata,  which  I entered 
soon  after  leaving  Kaminoyama,  is  populous  and  highly 
cultivated,  and  the  broad  road,  with  its  enormous  traffic, 
looks  wealthy  and  civilised.  It  is  being  improved  by 
convicts  in  dull  red  kimonos  printed  with  Chinese  char- 
acters, who  correspond  with  our  ticket-of-leave  men,  as 
they  are  working  for  wages  in  the  employment  of  con- 
tractors and  farmers,  and  are  under  no  other  restriction 
than  that  of  always  wearing  the  prison  dress. 

At  the  Sakamold  river  I was  delighted  to  come  upon 
the  only  thorougldy  solid  piece  of  modern  Japanese 
work  that  I have  met  with,  a remarkably  handsome 
stone  bridge  nearly  finished  — the  first  I have  seen.  I 
introduced  myself  to  the  enguieer  Okuno  Chiuzo,  a \ erj 
gentlemanly,  agreeable  Japanese,  who  showed  mo  the 
plans,  took  a great  deal  of  trouble  to  explain  them,  and 
courteously  gave  me  tea  and  sweetmeats. 

This  remarkable  bridge  on  a remarkable  road  is  192 
feet  long  by  30  broad,  with  five  arches  of  a span  of  30 
feet  each.  It  has  a massive  stone  balustrade,  with 


A A'E]V  BRIDGE. 


27{) 

pillars  at  the  ends  and  centre,  surmounted  by  bronze 
finials  3 feet  high.  The  stones  are  quarried  12  miles 
off,  and  each  is  brought  down  to  the  river-side  by  eight 
coolies  and  dressed  on  the  spot.  The  regular  size  of 
the  stones  is  3 feet  by  2,  and,  like  all  Japanese  masonry, 
they  are  fitted  together  without  mortar,  and  with  such 
absolute  nicety  that  the  joinings  are  hardly  visible. 
The  estimated  cost  is  16,000  yen,  or  something  over 
.£3000.  Tins  bridge  is  most  interesting,  as  the  design 
and  work  are  Japanese,  and  it  has  been  erected  success- 
fully Avithout  foreign  aid.  I paid  the  engineer  many 
compliments  on  his  work,  and  doubtless  they  lost  noth- 
ing by  transmission  through  Ito,  who  has  adopted  a 
most  amusing  swagger  of  walk  and  speech  ever  since 
we  entered  this  thriving  ken.  The  washing  away  of 
bridges  during  the  frequent  freshets  is  a source  of  great 
loss  and  inconvenience.  The  rivers  are  innumerable, 
and  in  a poor  country  it  cannot  be  expected  that  such 
structures  as  this  should  become  common,  even  on  the 
main  roads,  but  iron  cylinders  filled  with  concrete 
would,  in  many  places,  be  cheaper  in  the  long  run  than 
wooden  piers  without  foundations.  The  obvious  pros- 
perity of  this  region  must  arise  partly,  I think,  from 
the  fine  main  road  which  gives  the  cultivator  a choice 
of  markets,  instead  of  compelling  him  to  sell  in  the 
nearest,  because  of  the  difficulty  of  transit.  The  road 
is  very  cheerful,  owing  not  only  to  the  pedestrians  and 
pack-horses,  but  to  the  immense  number  of  man-carts 
and  kurumas. 

Yamagata,  a thriving  town  of  21,000  people  and  the 
capital  of  the  ken,  is  Avell  situated  on  a slight  eminence, 
and  this  and  the  dominant  position  of  the  kencho  at  the 
top  of  the  main  street  give  it  an  emphasis  nnusual  in 
Japanese  towns.  The  outskirts  of  all  the  cities  are 
very  mean,  and  the  appearance  of  the  lofty  white  build- 


276 


UNBEATEN  TRACKS  IN  JAPAN. 


ings  of  the  new  Government  Offices  above  the  low 
grey  houses  was  much  of  a surprise.  The  streets  of 
Yamagata  are  broad  and  clean,  and  it  has  good  shops, 
among  which  are  long  rows  selling  nothing  but  orna- 
mental iron  kettles  and  ornamental  brasswork.  So  far 
in  the  interior  I was  annoyed  to  find  several  shops  almost 
exclusively  for  the  sale  of  villainous  forgeries  of  Euro 
pean  eatables  and  drinkables,  specially  the  latter.  The 
Japanese,  fi'om  the  Mikado  downwards,  have  acquired 
a love  of  foreign  intoxicants,  which  would  be  hurtful 
enough  to  them  if  the  intoxicants  were  genuine,  but  is 
far  worse  when  they  are  compounds  of  vitriol,  fusel  oU, 
bad  vinegar,  and  I know  not  what.  I saw  two  shops 
in  Yamagata  winch  sold  champagne  of  the  best  brands, 
Martell’s  cognac,  Bass’s  ale,  Medoc,  St.  Julian,  and 
Scotch  whisky,  at  about  one-fifth  of  their  cost  price 
— all  poisonous  compounds,  the  sale  of  which  ought  to 
be  interdicted. 

The  Government  Buildings,  though  in  the  usual  con- 
fectionery style,  are  improved  by  the  addition  of  veran- 
dahs, and  the  Kenchd.,  Saibancho.,  or  Court  House,  the 
Normal  School  with  advanced  schools  attached,  and  the 
police  buildings,  are  all  in  keeping  Avith  the  good  road 
and  obvious  prosperity.  A large  two-storied  hospital, 
with  a cupola,  which  will  accommodate  150  patients,  and 
is  to  be  a Medical  School,  is  nearly  finished.  It  is  very 
well  arranged  and  ventilated.  I cannot  say  as  much 
for  the  present  hospital,  which  I went  over.  At  the 
Court  House  I saw  twenty  officials  doing  nothing,  and 
as  many  policemen,  all  in  European  dress,  to  wliich 
they  had  added  an  imitation  of  European  manners,  the 
total  result  being  unmitigated  vulgarity.  They  de- 
manded my  passport  before  they  would  tell  me  the 
population  of  the  hen.,  and  city.  Once  or  twice  I have 
found  fault  with  Ito's  manners,  and  he  has  asked  me 


A FILATURE. 


277 


twice  since  if  I think  them  like  the  manners  of  the 
policemen  at  Yamagata  ! 

I visited  a filature  where  the  managers  and  engine- 
tenders  all  wore  European  clothes,  but  they  were  singu- 
larly courteous  and  communicative.  It  is  a light,  lofty, 
well-ventilated  building,  running  50  spuidles  (shortly  to 
be  increased  to  100),  worked  by  as  many  clean,  well- 
dressed  girls.  Those  who  are  learning  get  little  besides 
their  food,  the  skilled  hands  earn  5s.  a week  and  food. 
The  machinery  is  run  by  a steam-engine  of  twenty 
horse-power,  made  and  worked  by  Japanese.  In  front 
of  the  spindles  is  a row  of  tables  at  which  the  girls  are 
seated,  on  high,  cushioned  stools,  each  one  with  a brass 
pan  full  of  water  kept  at  a given  temperature,  which 
contains  the  cocoons.  They  lift  the  ends  of  the  sUk 
with  small  brushes  made  of  twigs,  and  pass  them 
through  glass  rings  to  the  spindles.  The  working  day 
is  eleven  hours.  The  spun  silk  is  all  sent  to  England. 
The  white  bears  the  highest  price,  but  the  yellow  is  the 
strongest.  In  whatever  form  silk  is  sold,  it  must  be 
put  up  in  given  quantities,  in  Avr-appers,  bearing  im- 
pressed stamps  of  different  values.  The  manager  com- 
plained very  much  of  the  adulterations  of  silk  in 
Europe,  and  specially  of  that  mixture  of  silk  and 
cotton  known  as  Japanese  silk.  In  the  rear  of  the 
filature  is  a large  fireproof  building,  with  racks  up  to 
the  roof,  in  which  the  cocoons  are  stored  after  they 
have  been  exposed  to  a high  temperature  m a stove- 
heated  chamber.  The  manager  entertained  us  with 
tea,  the  first  of  this  season’s  crop,  and  remarkably  deli- 
cious. 

The  Yamagata  crowd  was  a suffocating  and  perse- 
vering one.  It  followed  me  to  the  filature,  and  after 
being  dispersed  by  the  police,  re-accumulated,  waited 
outside  during  the  hour  I spent  there,  and  followed  me 


278 


UNBEATEN  TRACKS  IN  JAPAN. 


to  the  tea-house,  where  my  spoon  and  fork  detained  il 
for  another  hour. 

North  of  Yamagata  the  plain  widens,  and  fine  longi- 
tudinal ranges  capped  with  snow  mountains  on  the  one 
side,  ajid  broken  ranges  with  lateral  spurs  on  the  other, 
enchase  as  cheerful  and  pleasant  a region  as  one  wouhJ 
wish  to  see,  with  many  pleasant  villages  on  the  lowe  r 
slopes  of  the  hills.  The  mercury  was  only  70°,  and  the 
wind  north,  so  it  was  an  especially  pleasant  journey, 
though  I had  to  go  three  and  a half  ri  beyond  Tendo,  a 
town  of  5000  people,  where  I had  intended  to  halt,  be- 
cause the  only  inns  at  Tendo  which  were  not  kashit- 
suke^a,  were  so  occupied  with  silkworms  that  they 
could  not  receive  me. 

The  next  day’s  journey  was  still  along  the  same  fine 
road,  through  a succession  of  farming  villages,  and 
to’nms  of  1500  and  2000  people,  such  as  Tochiida  and 
Obanasawa,  were  frequent.  From  both  these  there  was 
a glorious  view  of  Chokaisan,  a grand,  snow-covered 
dome,  said  to  be  8000  feet  high,  which  rises  in  an  alto- 
gether unexpected  manner  from  comparatively  level 
country,  and  as  the  great  snow-fields  of  Udonosan  are 
in  sight  at  the  same  time,  vdth  most  pictirresque  curtain 
ranges  below,  it  may  be  considered  one  of  the  grandest 
views  of  Japan.  After  leaving  Obanasawa  the  road 
passes  along  a valley  watered  by  one  of  the  affluents  of 
the  Mogami,  and  after  crossing  it  by  a fine  wooden 
bridge,  ascends  a pass  from  which  the  view  is  mosl 
mag’nificent.  After  a long  ascent  through  a region  ol 
light,  peaty  soil,  wooded  with  pine,  cryptomeria,  and 
scrub  oak,  a long  descent  and  a fine  avenue  terminate 
in  Shinjo,  a wretched  town  of  over  5000  people,  situated 
in  a plain  of  rice-fields. 

The  day’s  journey,  of  over  twenty-three  miles,  was 
through  villages  of  farms  without  yadoyas,  and  in  many 


A WRETCHED  TOWN. 


270 


eases  without  even  tea-houses.  The  style  of  building 
has  quite  changed.  Wood  has  disappeared,  and  all  the 
houses  are  now  built  with  heavy  beams  and  walls  of 
laths  and  brown  mud  mixed  with  chopped  straw,  and 
very  neat.  Nearly  all  are  great  oblong  barns,  turned 
endwise  to  the  road,  50,  60,  and  even  100  feet  long,  with 
the  end  nearest  the  road  the  dwelling-house.  These 
farm-houses  have  no  paper  windows,  only  amado,  with 
a few  panes  of  paper  at  the  top.  These  are  drawn  back 
in  the  daytime,  and,  in  the  better  class  of  houses, 
blinds,  formed  of  reeds  or  split  bamboo,  are  let  down 
over  the  opening.  There  are  no  ceilings,  and  in  many 
cases  an  unmolested  rat  snake  lives  in  the  rafters,  who, 
when  he  is  much  gorged,  occasionally  falls  down  upon 
a mosquito  net. 

Again  I write  that  Shinj8  is  a wTetched  place.  It  is 
a daimiyd's  town,  and  every  daimiyo's  town  that  I have 
seen  has  an  air  of  decay,  partly  owing  to  the  fact  that 
the  castle  is  either  pulled  down,  or  has  been  allowed  to 
fall  into  decay.  ShinjS  has  a large  trade  in  rice,  silk, 
and  hemp,  and  ought  not  to  be  as  poor  as  it  looks.  The 
mosquitoes  were  in  thousands,  and  I had  to  go  to  bed, 
so  as  to  be  out  of  their  reach,  before  I had  finished  my 
wretched  meal  of  sago  and  condensed  milk.  There  was 
a hot  rain  all  night,  my  wretched  room  Avas  dirty  and 
stifling,  and  rats  gnawed  my  boots  and  ran  away  with 
my  cucumbers. 

To-day  the  temperature  is  high  and  the  sky  murky. 
The  good  road  has  come  to  an  end,  and  the  old  hard- 
ihips  have  begun  again.  After  leaving  Shinjo  this 
moming  Ave  crossed  over  a steep  ridge  into  a singular 
basin  of  great  beauty,  Avith  a semicircle  of  pyramidal 
hills,  rendered  more  striking  by  being  covered  to  their 
summits  with  pyramidal  cryptomeria,  and  apparently 
blocking  all  northward  progress.  At  their  feet  lies 


280 


UNBEATEN  TRACKS  IN  JAPAN. 


Kaiiayama  in  a romantic  situation,  and  though  I arrived 
as  early  as  noon,  I am  staying  for  a day  or  two,  for  my 
room  at  the  Transport  Office  is  cheerful  and  pleasant, 
the  agent  is  most  polite,  a very  rough  region  lies  before 
me,  and  Ito  has  secured  a chicken  for  the  first  time  since 
leaving  Nikko  I 

I find  it  impossible  in  this  damp  climate,  and  in  my 
present  poor  health,  to  travel  with  any  comfort  for  more 
than  two  or  three  days  at  a time,  and  it  is  difficult  to 
find  pretty,  quiet,  and  wholesome  places  for  a halt  of 
two  nights.  Freedom  from  fleas  and  mosquitoes  one 
can  never  hope  for,  though  the  last  vary  in  number,  and 
I have  found  a way''  of  “ dodging  ” the  first,  by  laydng 
down  a piece  of  oiled  paper  six  feet  square  upon  the 
mat,  dusting  along  its  edges  a band  of  Persian  insect 
powder,  and  setting  my  chair  in  the  middle.  I am  then 
insulated,  and  though  myriads  of  fleas  jump  on  the 
paper,  the  powder  stupefies  them,  and  they  are  easily^ 
killed.  I have  been  obliged  to  rest  here  at  any  rate, 
because  I have  been  stung  on  my  left  hand  both  by  a 
hornet  and  a gadfly,  and  it  is  badly^  inflamed.  In  some 
places  the  hornets  are  in  hundreds,  and  make  the  horses 
wild.  I am  also  suffering  from  inflammation  produced 
by  the  bites  of  “ horse  ants,”  which  attack  one  in  walk- 
ing. The  Japanese  suffer  very  much  from  these,  and  a 
neglected  bite  often  produces  an  intractable  ulcer. 
Besides  these,  there  is  a fly  as  harmless  in  appearance 
as  our  house-fly',  which  bites  as  badly'  as  a mosquito. 
These  are  some  of  the  drawbacks  of  Japanese  travel- 
ling in  summer,  but  worse  than  these  is  the  lack  of 
such  food  as  one  can  eat  when  one  finishes  a hard  day'^s 
journey  without  appetite,  in  an  exhausting  atmosphere. 

July  18.  — I have  had  so  much  pain  and  fever  from 
stings  and  bites  that  last  night  I was  glad  to  considt  a 
Japanese  doctor  from  ShinjQ.  Ito,  who  looks  twice  as 


PAIN  AND  FEVER. 


281 


big  as  usual  when  he  has  to  do  any  “ grand  ” interpret- 
ing, and  always  puts  on  silk  hakama  in  honour  of  it, 
came  in  with  a middle-aged  man  dressed  entirely  in  sUk, 
who  prostrated  himself  three  times  on  the  ground,  and 
then  sat  down  on  his  heels.  Ito  in  many  words  ex- 
plained my  calamities,  and  Dr.  Nosoki  then  asked  to  see 
my  “ honourable  hand  ” which  he  examined  carefully, 
and  then  my  “honourable  foot.”  He  felt  my  pulse  and 
looked  at  my  eyes  with  a magnifying  glass,  and  with 
much  sucking  in  of  his  breath  — a sign  of  good  breed- 
ing and  politeness  — informed  me  that  I had  muct 
fever,  which  I knew  before ; then  that  I must  rest, 
which  I also  knew ; then  he  lighted  his  pipe  and  con 
templated  me.  Then  he  felt  my  pulse  and  looked  at 
my  eyes  again,  then  felt  the  swelling  from  the  hornet 
bite,  and  said  it  was  much  inflamed,  of  which  I was 
painfully  aware,  and  then  clapped  his  hands  three  times. 
At  this  signal  a coolie  appeared,  carrying  a handsome 
black  lacquer  chest  with  the  same  crest  in  gold  upon  it 
as  Dr.  Nosoki  wore  in  white  on  his  liaori.  This  con- 
tained a medicine  chest  of  fine  gold  lacquer,  fitted  up 
with  shelves,  drawers,  bottles,  etc.  He  compounded  a 
lotion  first,  with  which  he  bandaged  my  band  and  arm 
rather  skilfully,  telling  me  to  pour  the  lotion  over  the 
bandage  at  intervals  till  the  pain  abated.  The  whole 
vas  covered  with  oiled  paper,  which  answers  the  pur- 
pose of  oiled  silk.  He  then  compounded  a febrifuge, 
which,  as  it  is  purely  vegetable,  1 have  not  hesitated  to 
take,  and  told  me  to  drink  it  in  hot  water,  and  to  avoid 
Saks  for  a day  or  two  ! 

I asked  him  what  his  fee  was,  and  after  many  bows 
and  much  spluttering  and  sucking  in  of  his  breath,  he 
asked  if  I should  think  half  a ym  too  much,  and  when 
I presented  him  with  a yen.,  and  told  him  with  a good 
deal  of  profound  bowing  on  my  part  that  I was  exceed 


•282 


UNBEATEN  TRACKS  IN  JAPAN. 


iiigly  glad  to  obtain  his  services,  his  gratitude  quite 
abashed  me  by  its  immensity. 

Doctors  are  being  turned  out  in  numbers  from  the 
Medical  College  in  T6kiy6,  with  diplomas  which  entitle 
them  to  practice  throughout  the  Empire,  and  the  medi- 
cal schools  connected  with  the  provincial  hospitals 
taught  by  men  educated  in  European  Medical  Science 
give  diplomas  entitling  their  receivers  to  practise  within 
the  limits  of  the  ken  in  which  they  are  issued ; but  Dr. 
Nosoki  is  one  of  the  old-fashioned  practitioners,  whose 
medical  knowledge  has  been  handed  down  from  father 
to  son,  and  who  holds  out,  as  probably  most  of  his  pa- 
tients do,  against  European  methods  and  drugs.  A 
strong  prejudice  against  surgical  operations,  specially 
amputations,  exists  throughout  Japan.  With  regard  to 
the  latter,  people  think  that  as  they  came  into  the  world 
complete,  so  they  are  bound  to  go  out  of  it,  and  in 
many  places  a surgeon  would  hardly  be  able  to  buy  at 
any  price  the  privilege  of  cutting  off  an  arm. 

Except  from  books  these  older  men  know  notliing 
of  the  mechanism  of  the  human  body,  as  dissection  is 
unknown  to  native  science.  Dr.  Nosoki  told  me  thax, 
he  relies  mainly  on  the  application  of  the  moxa  and  on 
acupuncture  in  the  treatment  of  acute  diseases,  and  in 
chronic  maladies  on  friction,  medicinal  baths,  certain 
animal  and  vegetable  medicines,  and  certain  kinds  of 
food.  The  use  of  leeches  and  blisters  is  unknown  to 
him,  and  he  regards  mineral  di'ugs  with  ob^'ious  suspi- 
cion. He  has  heard  of  chloroform,  but  has  never  seen 
it  used,  and  considers  that  in  maternity  it  must  neces- 
sarily be  fatal  either  to  mother  or  child.  He  asked  me 
(and  1 have  t\vice  before  been  asked  the  same  question) 
whether  it  is  not  by  its  use  that  we  endeavom-  to  keep 
down  our  redundant  population  I He  has  great  faith 
in  ginseng  and  in  rhinoceros  horn,  and  in  the  powdered 


AN  OLD-  FASUIONED  PBACTITIONEB.  283 


liver  of  some  animal,  which,  from  the  description,  1 
understood  to  be  a tiger  — all  specifics  of  the  Chinese 
school  of  medicinesd  Dr.  Nosoki  showed  me  a small 
box  of  “ unicorn’s  ” horn,  which  he  said  was  worth  more 
than  its  weight  in  gold  ! As  my  arm  improved  coinci- 
dently  with  the  application  of  his  lotion,  I am  bound 
to  give  him  the  credit  of  the  cure. 

I in\ited  him  to  dinner,  and  two  tables  were  pro- 
duced covered  with  different  dishes,  of  which  he  ate 
heartily,  showing  most  singular  dexterity  with  his  chop- 
sticks in  removing  the  flesh  of  small,  bony  fish.  It  is 
proper  to  show  appreciation  of  a repast  by  noisy  gulp- 
ings,  and  much  gurgling  and  drawing  in  of  the  breath. 
Etiquette  rigidly  prescribes  these  performances,  which 
are  most  distressing  to  a European,  and  my  guest  near- 
ly upset  my  gravity  by  them. 

The  host  and  the  IfSchS,  or  chief  man  of  the  village, 
paid  me  a formal  visit  in  the  evening,  and  Ito,  e7i  grande 
tenue,  exerted  himself  immensely  on  the  occasion. 
They  were  much  surprised  at  my  not  smoking,  and 
supposed  me  to  be  under  a vow ! They  asked  me 
manj^  questions  about  our  customs  and  Government, 


1 Afterwards  in  China,  at  a native  hospital,  I heard  much  more  of 
the  miraculous  virtues  of  these  drugs,  and  in  Salangor,  in  the  Malay 
Peninsula,  I saw  a most  amusing  scene  after  the  death  of  a tiger.  A 
number  of  the  neighbouring  Chinese  flew  upon  the  body,  cut  out  the 
liver,  eyes,  and  spleen,  and  carefully  drained  every  drop  of  the  blood,, 
fighting  with  each  other  for  the  possession  of  things  so  precious,  while 
those  who  were  not  so  fortunate  as  to  secure  any  of  these  cut  out  the 
cartilage  from  the  joints.  The  centre  of  a tiger’s  eyeball  is  supposed  to 
possess  nearly  miraculous  virtues;  the  blood,  dried  at  a temperature  of 
110°,  is  the  strongest  of  all  tonics,  and  gives  strength  and  courage ; and 
the  powdered  liver  and  spleen  are  good  for  many  diseases.  Sultan  Ab- 
dul Samat  claimed  the  liver,  hut  the  other  parts  were  all  sold  at  high 
prices  to  the  Chinese  doctors.  A little  later,  at  Qualla  Kangsa  in  Perak, 
I saw  rhinoceros  horns  sold  at  a high  price  for  the  Chinese  drug  market, 
and  Rajah  Muda,  who  was  anxious  to  claim  the  horns  of  the  district, 
asserted  that  a single  horn,  with  a particular  mark  on  it,  was  worth 
fifty  dollars  for  sale  to  the  Chinese  doctors. 


284 


UNBEATEN  TRACKS  IN  JAPAN. 


but  frequently  reverted  to  tobacco.  The  use  of  it  is 
absolutely  universal.  According  to  J\Ir.  Satow  it  was 
not  cultivated  in  Japan  till  1605,  and  in  1612  and  1615 
the  Shogun  prolribited  both  the  cultivation  and  use  of 
it,  but  the  craving  for  the  “ smoke-weed  ” was  too 
strong  for  the  edict,  and  in  1651  it  was  modified  into  a 
notification,  forbidding  people  to  smoke  outside  theii 
houses.  It  was  a long  time  before  respectable  women 
became  smokers.  Now  the  shops  in  the  cities  for  the 
sale,  of  pipes,  pouches,  and  tobacco,  are  innumerable ; 
any  village  which  has  shops  at  all  is  sure  to  have  one 
for  smoking  apparatus ; along  the  road-side  there  are 
stands  for  the  same,  and  the  tahako-hon.,  with  its  fire-pot 
and  ash-pot,  is  a part  of  the  furniture  of  even  the  poor- 
est liouse.  In  some  of  the  literature  devoted  to  the 
subject  it  is  called  both  “ the  poverty  weed  ” and  the 
“ fool's  herb,”  but  these  names  are  the  invention  of  non- 
smokers.  The  pipe  of  a Japanese  is  often  his  sole  com- 
panion. These  men  told  me  that  all  men  “long  for 
tobacco  day  and  night  without  ceasing.”  A decoction 
of  its  leaves  is  used,  as  with  us,  for  destroying  insects 
on  plants,  bundles  of  the  leaves  are  placed  under  the 
5aves  to  keep  away  vermin,  dried  leaves  are  laid  in 
:)Ooks  to  prevent  the  attacks  of  worms,  and  dried  to- 
oacco  oil  is  a remedy  in  some  forms  of  eye  disease.^ 

1 Mr.  Satow  has  translated  the  following  amusing  notes  on  the  mer- 
its and  demerits  of  the  weed,  from  a treatise  upon  it  caUed  the  Ensanki. 

1.  It  dispels  the  vapours  and  increases  the  energies. 

2.  It  is  good  to  produce  at  the  beginning  of  a feast. 

3.  It  is  a companion  in  solitude. 

4.  It  affords  an  excuse  for  resting  now  and  then  from  work,  as  if  in 
order  to  take  breath. 

5.  It  is  a storehouse  of  reflection,  and  gives  time  for  the  fumes  ol 
wrath  to  disperse.  But  on  the  other  hand  — 1.  There  is  a natural  ten- 
dency to  hit  people  over  the  head  with  one’s  pipe  in  a fit  of  anger.  2. 
The  pipe  comes  sometimes  to  be  used  for  arranging  the  burning  charcoal 
in  the  hibachi.  3.  An  inveterate  smoker  has  been  known  to  walk  alxuit 
among  the  dishes  at  a feast  with  his  pipe  in  his  mouth.  4.  People  kiiO'3li 


THE  ‘'POVERTY  WEED.” 


28/i 

There  have  been  frequent  and  lively  discussions  in 
Japan  on  the  use  of  tobacco,  but  the  doctors  have  been 
on  the  whole  in  favour  of  smoking  in  moderation.  Ad 
eminent  writer,  Kaibara,  comparing  it  with  tea  and 
sake.,  condemns  it  altogether,  saying,  “ Tobacco  alone 
produces  no  benefit,  but  does  more  harm  than  anything 
else.  It  is  not  worth  while  to  chide  the  common  peo- 
ple for  sucking  it  in,  but  for  gentlemen  and  ‘ superior  ’ 
men  to  follow  after  a custom  imported  from  a barbarous 
country,  and.  to  take  pleasure  in  and  praise  that  which 
harms  the  body,  are  woful  errors.”  ^ 

In  every  agricultural  place  where  I have  had  the 
opportunity  of  talking  with  intelligent  people,  I have 


the  ashes  out  of  their  pipes  while  still  alight,  and  forget  to  extinguish 
the  fire;  hence  clothing  and  mats  are  frequently  scorched  by  burning 
tobacco  ash.  6.  Smokers  spit  indiscriminately  in  the  hibachi,  foot  warm- 
ers, or  kitchen  fire,  and  also  in  the  crevices  between  the  tatami  which 
cover  the  floor.  7.  They  rap  the  pipe  violently  on  the  edge  of  the  fire- 
pot.  8.  They  forget  to  have  the  ash-pot  emptied  till  it  is  full  to  over- 
flowing. 

1 When  I was  in  Tokiyo  1 saw  an  amusing  paper  on  Women’s  Rights 
translated  from  a native  newspaper  called  the  Meiroku  Zasshi.  The 
writer  dreaded  the  increase  of  the  power  of  women  as  one  result  of  the 
introduction  of  European  customs,  and  instanced  the  fact  (less  univer- 
sal than  formerly,  alasi)  that  among  Europeans  men  “are  not  permit- 
ted to  smoke  without  the  ladies’  permission  being  first  obtained.’’ 
After  giving  an  instance  in  jjoint,  in  which  he  was  the  sufferer,  he  says, 
“The  reason  that  men  are  thus  prohibited  from  smoking  is  that  the 
ladies  do  not  like  it.  But  if  I smoke,  I do  so  in  virtue  of  my  rights  as 
a man,  and  if  the  ladies  do  not  like  it,  they  should  leave  the  room.  The 
dislike  of  (European)  women  to  smoking  subtracts  from  the  pleasures 
of  men,  and  there  can  surely  be  no  reason  in  this,  as  it  involves  a limi- 
tation of  the  freedom  of  power.  I find  no  reason  for  making  distinc- 
tions between  men  and  women  in  such  a matter,  and  for  smoking  before 
the  one  and  not  smoking  before  the  other.  When  it  is  not  a thing  pro- 
hibited by  law  or  morals,  and  a distinction  is  made  between  smoking 
before  men  and  women,  I fail  to  see  the  reason  of  it.  At  present  there 
is  much  discussion  in  this  country  as  to  the  relations  which  should  exist 
between  men  and  women.  It  is  well,  therefore,  that  our  learned  men 
should  take  this  into  consideration,  otherwise  the  power  of  the  other 
sex  will  grow  gradually,  and  eventually  become  so  overwliehnmg  that 
It  will  be  'mpossible  to  control  it.” 


286 


UNBEATEN  TRACKS  IN  JAPAN. 


tried  to  gain  some  knowledge  of  rural  administration, 
and  of  the  peasant  view  of  the  existing  order  of  things ; 
but  no  one  who  has  not  made  the  attempt  can  realise 
how  difficult  it  is  to  get  any  information  that  will  hang 
together,  and  it  is  impossible  to  get  an  expression  of 
opinion  which  is  worth  anything,  either  from  a natural 
incapacity  for  truth-telling,  or  from  a Imgering  dread 
of  espionage.  These  men  were  an  exception  to  the 
general  rule,  and  we  managed  to  conduct  a conversa- 
tion which  lasted  till  midnight  with  frequent  relays  of 
tea  and  sweetmeats. 

The  Kocho,  or  responsible  head-man  of  the  village,  is 
elected  by  a majority  of  the  male  inhabitants  of  a given 
district,  but  his  appointment  must  be  ratified  by  the 
Governor  of  the  hen.  The  presents  formerly  made  to 
him  have  been  abolished,  and  he  receives  a fixed  salary 
of  5 or  6 yen  a month  — little  enough  for  the  multifari- 
ous and  ever-increasing  duties  which  he  has  to  perform. 
He  has  to  put  his  seal  to  all  the  announcements,  inqui- 
ries, and  petitions  which  are  sent  to  the  Kenrei  or 
Governor  by  the  people  of  his  village ; to  see  that 
every  one  pays  his  Imperial  taxes  after  the  harvest;  to 
keep  the  civil  register  of  births,  deaths,  and  marriages  : 
to  collect  the  provincial  rates,  to  watch  over  the  condi- 
tion of  roads,  embankments,  and  bridges ; and  to  give 
notice  if  the  two  last  and  ferries  are  in  a dangerous 
condition. 

Above  him  is  the  GuneJio.,  who  is  at  the  head  of  a 
circuit  of  from  four  to  ten  villages,  called  the  Kori:  he 
receives  12  yen  monthly,  and  has  a handsome  office,  and 
assistants,  and  scribes.  He  superintends  the  Kocho  of 
his  district,  and  settles  the  special  expenses  of  each  ^■il- 
lage  for  schools,  repairs  of  roads,  salaries,  etc.,  and 
arranges  monthly  vuth  the  Kocho  the  contribution  o/ 
the  district  to  the  expenditure  of  the  ken. 


RURAL  ADMINISTRATION. 


•287 


At  tlie  head  of  local  officialdom  stands  the  Kenrei., 
who  is  directly  responsible  to  the  Ministry  of  the  Inte- 
rior. In  a large  ken^  such  as  Niigata,  he  has  deputies 
who  reside  in  the  important  towns,  and  he  has  a chief 
secretary,  several  advisers,  and  a large  staff.  His  first 
duty  is  to  maintain  order  by  means  of  the  police,  but 
they  are  not  under  him  but  under  the  Police  Depart- 
ment at  Yedo.  The  Kenrei  adjusts  to  some  extent  the 
imperial  taxes,  and  assesses  the  provincial  taxes,  super- 
intends roads,  rivers,  embankments,  schools ; meets,  if 
possible,  the  increasing  requirements  of  trade  and  com- 
merce, by  improving  roads  and  assisting  trading  com- 
panies ; and  is  magistrate  in  all  matters  relating  to 
inheritance  and  adoption. 

The  present  change  in  taxation  from  payments  in  rice 
to  those  in  money,  requires  most  skilful  management. 
Land  is  the  only  subject  on  which  the  peasants  are  sen- 
sitive, and  a very  little  irritation  concerning  it,  or  things 
naturally  connected  with  it,  is  sufficient  to  make  these 
usually  harmless  cultivators  turn  their  “ pruning  hooks  ’’ 
into  spears,  and  deal  in  vague  threats  of  insurrection. 
Risings  of  this  sort  are  quite  common,  and  are  as  com- 
monly put  down  by  a few  judicious  words  from  the 
Kenrei  or  his  deputy. 

If,  as  is  sometimes  the  case,  the  second  son  is  to  be 
made  heir  to  the  house  and  lands  instead  of  the  eldest 
son,  or  if  the  widow  is  to  be  made  guardian  of  the  chil- 
dren, or  if  the  head  of  a family  desires  to  adopt  a child, 
the  confirmation  of  the  Kenrei  is  required.  He  seems 
to  fill  much  the  same  position  as  the  Prefect  of  a French 
Department. 

1 failed  to  extract  much  from  the  Kochd  as  to  the 
■actual  condition  of  the  peasantry.  He  seemed  to  think 
that  it  was  better  formerly,  but  I cannot  agree  with  him. 
Many  hardships  may  and  must  be  involved  in  the  tran 


288 


UNBEATEN  TRACKS  IN  JAPAN. 


sitiou,  and  the  peasant,  accustomed  to  the  tutelage,  and, 
in  some  cases,  almost  the  parental  care  of  the  old  regime., 
is  sure  at  first  to  feel  keenly  the  di-awbacks  of  an  inde- 
pendent jiosition,  in  which,  in  case  of  a bad  harvest  or 
other  calamities,  he  has  no  feudal  lord  to  fall  back  upon , 
but  he  is  now,  if  he  only  knew  it,  in  the  most  enviable 
of  all  positions,  that  of  a peasant  proprietor.  He  has 
the  right  to  dispose  of  his  land  by  will,  to  seU  it,  and 
to  cultivate  whatever  crops  he  pleases,  and  is  no  longer 
bound  to  the  soU  as  a serf,  as  he  practically  was  under 
the  old  regime ; and  the  innumerable  prerogatives  of 
the  upper  class,  and  the  limitations  of  the  liberty  of  his 
own,  are  done  away  with.  At  the  present  time  each 
holdmg  is  being  assessed,  and  title-deeds  are  being  is- 
sued, vesting  the  right  to  the  soil  in  the  actual  cultiva- 
tor, but  reserving  all  mmeral  rights  to  the  Mikado,  who 
is  thus  Lord  of  the  IManor  of  all  Japan.  The  chief 
weight  of  taxation  does,  however,  fall  on  the  peasant 
I roprietors,  even  though  last  year  the  land  tax  was  re- 
duced to  per  cent  on  the  value  of  the  land,  and  the 
tax  for  local  Government  purposes,  also  chargeable  on 
the  land,  was  limited  at  its  maximum  to  one-fifth  of 
the  land  tax. 

It  remains  to  be  seen  whether  these  people  are  capa- 
ble of  retaining  the  singular  advantages  conferred  upon 
them.  Probably  a more  ignorant  and  superstitious 
peasantry  does  not  exist  on  earth.  The  facilities  for 
mortgaging  land  are  many,  and  it  may  be  that  in  this 
way  small  holdings  will  pass  out  of  the  hands  of  the 
present  free-holders,  and  so  a class  of  large  landed  pro- 
prietors, with  a dependent  population  of  labourers,  may 
grow  up,  the  security  against  this  change  Ijdng  in  the 
intensely  tenacious  attachment  to  land  which  is  a fea- 
ture of  the  Japanese  character.  I.  L.  B. 


8L0W  TBAVELLING. 


289 


A FEARFUL  DISEASE. 

The  Effect  of  a Chicken  — Poor  Fare  — Slow  Travellii  g — Stone 
Ropes  — Objects  of  Interest  — Kale’ Ice  — The  Fatal  Close  — Pre- 
disposing Causes  — A Great  Fire  — Security  of  the  Kuras. 

Shingoji,  July  21. 

Very  early  in  the  morning,  after  my  long  talk  with 
the  KdcTio  of  Kanayama,  Ito  wakened  me  by  saying, 
“ You’ll  be  able  for  a long  day’s  journey  to-day,  as  you 
had  a chicken  yesterday,”  and  under  this  chicken’s 
marvellous  influence  we  got  away  at  6.45,  only  to  verify 
the  proverb  “the  more  haste  the  worse  speed.”  Unso- 
licited by  me  the  K6ehd  sent  round  the  village  to  for- 
bid the  people  from  assembling,  so  I got  away  in  peace 
with  a pack-horse  and  one  runner.  It  was  a terrible 
road,  with  two  severe  mountain-passes  to  cross,  and  I 
not  only  had  to  walk  nearly  the  whole  way,  but  to  help 
the  man  with  the  kuruma  up  some  of  the  steepest  places. 
Halting  at  the  exquisitely  situated  village  of  Nosoki,  we 
got  one  horse,  and  walked  by  a mountain  road  along 
the  head-waters  of  the  Omono  to  Innai.  I wish  I could 
convey  to  you  any  idea  of  the  beauty  and  wildness  of 
that  mountain  route,  of  the  surprises  on  the  way,  of 
views,  of  the  violent  deluges  of  rain  which  turned  rivu- 
lets into  torrents,  and  of  the  hardships  and  difficulties 
of  the  day  ; the  scanty  fare  of  sun-dried  rice  dough  and 
sour  yellow  rasps,  and  the  depth  of  the  mii-e  tlu'ough 
wliich  we  waded!  We  crossed  the  Shione  and  Sakatsu 
passes,  and  in  twelve  hours  accomplished  fifteen  miles  ! 


290 


UNBEATEN  TRACKS  IN  JAPAN. 


Everywhere  we  were  told  that  we  should  never  get 
through  the  country  by  the  way  we  are  going. 

The  women  still  wear  trousers,  but  with  a long  gar- 
ment tucked  into  them  instead  of  a short  one,  and  the 
men  wear  a cotton  combination  of  breastplate  and 
apron,  either  without  anything  else,  or  over  their  kimo- 
nos. The  descent  to  Innai  under  an  avenue  of  crypto- 
meria,  and  the  village  itself,  shut  in  with  the  rushing 
Omono,  are  very  beautiful.  Shrines  and  figures  of 
Buddha  and  his  disciples  are  very  numerous  in  thit  re- 
gion, and  in  many  places  there  are  immense  upright 
stones  without  characters,  with  rude  carvings  of  the 
sun  and  moon  upon  them.  Among  other  ingenious 
devices  there  are  an  unusual  number  of  the  ropes  or  bol- 
sters of  stones,  which  have  been  used  as  embankments 
all  the  way  from  NikkS.  These  consist  of  cylinders  of 
variable  length,  and  from  2 to  4 feet  in  diameter,  made 
of  split  bamhoo,  woven  in  meshes  small  enough  to  pre- 
vent the  escape  of  a 6 lb.  stone.  They  are  filled  with 
waterworn  boulders,  and  serviceable  dams  and  embank- 
ments are  formed  by  laying  the  cylinders  one  above 
another.  Bad  as  the  ravages  of  floods  are,  they  are 
much  mitigated  by  this  simple  arrangement. 

The  yadoya  at  Innai  was  a remarkably  cheerful  one, 
but  my  room  was  entu-ely /wsuma  and  shoji.,  and  peo- 
ple were  peeping  in  the  whole  time.  It  is  not  only  a 
foreigner  and  his  strange  ways  which  attract  attention 
ill  these  remote  districts,  but  in  my  case,  my  india-rub- 
ber bath,  air-pdlow,  and  above  all,  my  white  mosi^uito 
net.  Their  nets  are  all  of  a heavy  green  canvas,  and 
they  admire  mine  so  much,  that  I can  give  no  more 
acceptable  present  on  leaving  than  a piece  of  it  to 
twist  in  with  the  hair.  There  were  six  engineers  in  the 
next  room  who  are  survejdng  the  passes  which  I had 
crossed,  in  order  to  see  if  they  could  be  tunnelled,  in 


KAK’KE. 


291 


which  case  kurumas  might  go  all  the  way  from  TokiS 
to  Kubota  on  the  Sea  of  Japan,  and,  with  a small  addi- 
tional outlay,  carts  also. 

In  the  two  villages  of  Upper  and  Lower  Innai  there 
has  been  an  outbreak  of  a malady  much  dreaded  by 
the  Japanese,  called  kak'ke,  which,  in  the  last  seven 
months,  has  carried  off  100  persons  out  of  a population 
of  about  1500,  and  the  local  doctors  have  been  aided 
by  two  sent  from  the  Medical  School  at  Kubota.  I 
don’t  know  a European  name  for  it ; the  Japanese  name 
signifies  an  affection  of  the  legs.  Its  first  symptoms 
are  a loss  of  strength  in  the  legs,  “looseness  in  the 
knees,”  cramps  in  the  calves,  swelling,  and  numbness. 
This,  Dr.  Anderson,  who  has  studied  kak'ke  in  more 
than  1100  cases  in  TOkiyO,  calls  the  sub-acute  form. 
The  chronic  is  a slow,  numbing,  and  wasting  malady, 
which,  if  unchecked,  results  in  death  from  paralysis 
and  exhaustion,  in  from  six  months  to  three  years. 
The  third,  or  acute  form.  Dr.  Anderson  describes  thus. 
After  remarking  that  the  grave  symptoms  set  in  quite 
unexpectedly,  and  go  on  rapidly  increasing,  he  says : — 
“ The  patient  now  can  lie  down  no  longer,  he  sits  up  in 
bed  and  tosses  restlessly  from  one  position  to  another, 
and,  with  wrinkled  brow,  staring  and  anxious  eyes, 
dusky  skin,  blue,  parted  lips,  dilated  nostrils,  throbbing 
neck,  and  labouring  chest,  presents  a picture  of  the  most 
terrible  distress  that  the  worst  of  diseases  can  inflict. 
There  is  no  intermission  even  for  a moment,  and  the 
physician,  here  almost  powerless,  can  do  little  more  than 
note  the  failing  pulse  and  falling  temperature,  and  wait 
for  the  moment  when  the  brain,  paralysed  by  the  car- 
bonised blood,  shall  become  insensible,  and  allow  the 
dying  man  to  pass  his  last  moments  in  merciful  uncon 
sciousness.^ 

1 Kak’ke,  by  'William  Anderson,  T.R.C.S.  Transactions  of  English 
Asiatic  Society  of  .Japan,  Jannary  1878. 


292 


UNBEATEN  TRACKS  IN  JAPAN. 


Having  this  paper  on  kak'ke  with  me,  I was  much 
interested  in  the  account  given  me  of  the  malady  by 
one  of  the  doctors  from  Kubota,  with  whom  I rode  for 
one  stage.  He  said,  that  in  the  opinion  of  the  native 
doctors  (as  well  as  in  Dr.  Anderson’s),  bad  drainage, 
dampness,  overcrowding,  and  want  of  ventilation,  are 
the  predisposing  causes,  and  he  added  that  he  tiiought 
that  its  extreme  frequency  among  soldiers  and  policemen 
arises  from  the  wearing  of  foreign  shoes,  which  are 
oftener  wet  than  dry.  Ito  is  so  convinced  of  this  that 
he  never  will  put  on  his  foreign  boots  when  the  roads 
are  wet.  It  excites  a most  singular  dread.  It  is  con- 
sidered to  be  the  same  disease  as  that  which,  under  the 
name  Beri-heri.,  makes  such  havoc  at  times  in  crowded 
jails  and  barracks  in  Ceylon  and  India.  It  has  been 
unusually  bad  of  late  in  Tokiyo,  and  two  hospitals  have 
been  opened,  in  one  of  which  native  treatment  is  to  be 
tried,  and  in  the  other,  foreign. 

The  next  morning,  after  riding  nine  miles  tlirough  a 
quagmire,  under  grand  avenues  of  cryptomeria,  and 
noticing  with  regret  that  the  telegraph  poles  ceased,  we 
reached  Yusowa,  a town  of  7000  people,  in  which,  had 
it  not  been  for  provoking  delays,  I should  have  slept 
instead  of  at  Innai,  and  found  that  a fire  a few  hours 
previously  had  destroyed  seventy  houses,  including  the 
yadoya  at  which  I should  have  lodged.  We  had  to  wait 
two  hours  for  horses,  as  all  were  engaged  in  moving 
property  and  people.  The  ground  where  the  houses 
had  stood  was  absolutely  bare  of  everything  but  fine 
black  ash,  among  which  the  kuras  stood  blackened,  and, 
in  some  instances,  slightly  cracked,  but  in  all  unharmed. 
Already  skeletons  of  new  houses  w^ere  rising.  No  life 
had  been  lost  except  that  of  a tipsy  man,  but  I should 
probably  have  lost  everything  but  my  money. 


POLICE  ENQUIRIES. 


292 


FUNERAL  CEREMONIES. 

Lunch  in  Public  — A Grotesque  Accident  — Police  Enquiries — Man 
or  Woman?  — A Melancholy  Stare  — A Vicious  Horse  — An  Ill- 
favoured  Town — A Disappointment  — A Torn. 

Yusowa  is  a specially  objectionable-looking  place.  I 
took  my  lunch,  a wretched  meal  of  a tasteless  white 
curd  made  from  beans,  with  some  condensed  milk  added 
to  it,  in  a yard,  and  the  people  crowded  in  hundreds  to 
the  gate,  and  those  behind  being  uuable  to  see  me,  got 
ladders  and  climbed  on  the  adjacent  roofs,  where  they 
remained  till  one  of  the  roofs  gave  way  with  a loud 
crash,  and  precipitated  about  fifty  men,  women,  and 
children  into  the  room  below,  which  fortunately  was 
vacant.  Nobody  screamed  — a noteworthy  fact  — and 
the  casualties  were  only  a few  bruises.  Four  police- 
men then  appeared  and  demanded  my  passport,  as  if  1 
were  responsible  for  the  accident,  and  failing,  like  all 
others,  to  read  a particular  word  upon  it,  they  asked 
me  what  I was  travelling  for,  and  on  being  told  “to 
learn  about  the  country  ” thej^  asked  if  I was  making  a 
map  ? Having  satisfied  their  curiosity  they  disappeared, 
and  the  crowd  surged  up  again  in  fuller  force.  The 
Transport  Agent  begged  them  to  go  away,  but  they 
said  they  might  never  see  such  a sight  again ! One  old 
peasant  said  he  would  go  away  if  be  were  told  whether 
“ the  sight  ” were  a man  or  a woman,  and  on  the  agent 
asking  if  that  were  any  business  of  his,  he  said  he  should 
like  to  tell  at  home  what  he  had  seen,  which  awoke  my 


294 


UNBEATEN  TBACK8  IN  JAPAN. 


sympathy  at  once,  and  I told  Ito  to  tell  them  that  a 
Japanese  horse  galloping  night  and  day  without  ceas- 
ing, would  take  weeks  to  reach  my  cormtry  — a 
statement  which  he  is  using  lavishly  as  I go  along. 
These  are  such  queer  crowds,  so  silent  and  gaping,  and 
they  remain  motionless  for  hours,  the  wideawake  babies 
on  the  mothers’  backs  and  in  the  fathers’  arms  never 
crying.  I should  be  glad  to  hear  a hearty  aggregate 
laugh,  even  if  I were  its  object.  The  great  melancholy 
stare  is  depressing. 

The  road  for  ten  miles  was  tlironged  with  country 
people  going  in  to  see  the  fire.  It  was  a good  road  and 
very  pleasant  country,  with  numerous  roadside  shrines 
and  figures  of  the  goddess  of  mercy.  I had  a wicked 
horse,  thoroughly  vicious.  His  head  was  doubly  chained 
to  the  saddle  girth,  but  he  never  met  man,  woman,  or 
child,  without  laying  back  his  ears  and  running  at  them 
to  bite  them.  I was  so  tired  and  in  so  much  spinal  pain 
that  I got  off  and  walked  several  times,  and  it  was  most 
difficult  to  get  on  again,  for  as  soon  as  I put  my  hand 
on  the  saddle  he  swung  his  hind  legs  round  to  kick  me, 
and  it  required  some  agility  to  avoid  being  hurt.  Nor 
was  this  all.  The  evil  beast  made  dashes  with  his  teth- 
ered head  at  flies,  threatening  to  twist  or  demolish  my 
foot  at  each,  flung  Iris  hind  legs  upwards,  attempted  to 
dislodge  flies  on  his  nose  with  his  liind  hoof,  executed 
capers  wliich  involved  a total  disappearance  of  every- 
thing in  front  of  the  saddle,  squealed,  stumbled,  kicked 
his  old  shoes  off,  and  resented  the  feeble  attempt? 
wliich  the  mago  made  to  replace  them,  and  finally  walked 
in  to  Yokote  and  downi  its  long  and  dismal  street  main- 
ly on  Ms  hind  legs,  shaking  the  rope  out  of  his  timid 
leader’s  hand,  and  shaking  me  into  a sort  of  aching 
jelly  ! 1 used  to  tMnk  that  horses  were  made  vicious 

either  by  being  teased  or  by  violence  in  breakbig  ; but 


A TOEII. 


295 


this  does  not  account  for  the  malignity  of  the  Japanese 
horses,  f(;r  the  people  are  so  much  afraid  of  them  that 
they  treat  them  with  great  respect ; they  are  not  beaten 
or  kicked,  are  spoken  to  in  soothing  tones,  and  on  the 
whole  live  better  than  their  masters.  Perhaps  this  is 
the  secret  of  their  villany  — “ Jeshurun  waxed  fat  and 
kicked.” 

Yokote,  a town  of  10,000  people,  in  which  the  best 
yadoyas  are  all  non-respectable,  is  an  ill-favoui’ed,  ill- 
smelling,  forlorn,  dirty,  damp,  miserable  place,  with  a 
large  trade  in  cottons.  As  I rode  through  on  my  tem- 
porary biped,  the  people  rushed  out  from  the  baths  to 
see  me,  men  and  women  alike  without  a particle  of 
clothing.  The  house-master  was  very  polite,  but  I had 
a dark  and  dirty  room,  up  a bamboo  ladder,  and  it 
swarmed  with  fleas  and  mosquitoes  to  an  exasperating 
extent.  On  the  way  I heard  that  a bullock  was  killed 
every  Thursday  in  Yokote,  and  had  decided  on  having 
a broiled  steak  for  supper  and  taking  another  with  me, 
but  when  I arrived  it  was  all  sold,  there  were  no  eggs, 
and  I made  a miserable  meal  of  rice  and  bean  curd,  feel- 
ing somewhat  starved,  as  the  condensed  milk  I bought 
at  Yamagata  had  to  be  thrown  away.  I was  somewhat 
wretched  from  fatigue  and  inflamed  ant  bites,  but  in  the 
early  morning,  hot  and  misty  as  all  the  mornings  have 
been,  I went  to  see  a Shint6  temple  or  miya^  and  though 
I went  alone  escaped  a throng. 

The  entrance  into  the  temple  court  was  as  usual  by  a 
torii,  which  consisted  of  two  large  posts  20  feet  high, 
surmounted  with  cross  beams,  the  upper  one  of  which 
projects  beyond  the  posts,  and  frequently  curves  up- 
wards at  both  ends.  The  whole,  as  is  often  the  case, 
was  painted  a dull  red.  This  torii  or  “ birds’  rest  ” is 
said  to  be  so  called  because  the  fowls,  which  were  for- 
merly offered  but  not  sacrificed,  were  accustomed  to 


296 


UNBEATEN  TRACES  IN  JAPAN. 


perch  upon  it.  A straw  rope  with  straw  tassels  and 
strips  of  paper  hanging  from  it,  the  special  emblem  of 
Shinto,  hung  across  the  gateway.  In  the  paved  court 
there  were  several  handsome  granite  lanterns  on  fine 
granite  pedestals,  such  as  are  the  nearly  universal  ac- 
companiments of  both  Shinto  and  Buddldst  temples. 
In  this  part  of  Japan  the  lantern  is  usually  pierced  on 
one  side  with  a crescent  for  the  moon,  and  on  the  other 
with  a disc  for  the  sun,  emblems  which  are  said  to  refer 


TORII. 


to  the  Chinese  notion  of  the  male  and  female  principles 
in  nature.  The  temple  itself  was  of  the  usual  form, 
with  a pack-saddle  roof  of  bark  thatch,  and  a flight  of 
stone  stairs  leading  to  the  entrance,  but,  unlike  the 
Buddhist  temples,  tliere  was  a bar  across,  and  the  tem- 
ple was  as  empty  as  the  creed,  for  it  contained  nothing 
but  a polished  steel  mirror,  and  even  this,  IMr.  Satow 
says  in  one  of  his  learned  papers  on  Shint6,  is  kept  in  a 
box  except  where  the  temple  has  been  at  some  time  con- 


DEATH  AND  BURIAL. 


297 


taminated  by  Buddhism.  Behind  this  there  was  a con- 
cealed shrine  with  a table  in  front  of  it,  with  two  little 
bowls,  one  containing  rice  and  the  other  sakS.,  and  a 
sprig  of  evergreen  upon  it.  A pure  ShintS  temple  is 
always  built  outside  and  inside  of  planed  wood,  and  is 
roofed  with  thatch  after  the  model  of  the  shrines  of  Ts^, 
the  cradle  of  the  creed. 

As  I stood  at  the  entrance  several  people  came  up  and 
pulled  a much-frayed  bell-rope  which  was  hanging  in  the 
doorway,  and  clattered  a most  inharmonious  bell.  Then 
they  clapped  their  hands  and  muttered  a few  words, 
made  three  genuflections,  clapped  their  hands  again, 
and  departed,  the  whole  performance  taking  about  li 
minute.  The  ringing  the  bell  and  clapping  the  hands 
are  to  attract  the  attention  of  the  god.  Regular  attend- 
ance on  services  is  not  enjoined,  the  intervention  of  a 
priest  is  seldom  necessary,  and  priestcraft  has  hardly  a 
place  in  Shintfl.  which,  unlike  Buddhism,  concerns  itself 
little  with  a future  state  of  being.  A number  of  red 
torii  about  a foot  high,  ex  votos,  were  Ijdng  against  the 
temple  court  wall.  The  village  shrines  and  those  in 
the  groves  are  about  five  feet  high  and  usually  contain 
nothing. 

After  leaving  Yakote  we  passed  through  very  prett) 
country  with  mountain  views  and  occasional  glimpses 
of  the  sno^wy  dome  of  Chokaizan,  crossed  the  Omono 
(which  has  burst  its  banks  and  destroyed  its  bridges) 
by  two  troublesome  ferries,  and  arrived  at  Rokugo,  a 
town  of  5000  people  with  fine  temples,  exceptionally 
mean  houses,  and  the  most  aggressive  crowd  by  whicli 
I have  yet  been  asphyxiated. 

There,  through  the  good  offices  of  the  police,  I was 
enabled  to  attend  a Buddhist  funeral  of  a merchant  of 
some  wealth.  It  interested  me  very  much  from  its 
solemnity  nnd  decorum,  and  It:)’s  explanations  of  what 


298 


UNBEATEN  TRACKS  IN  JAPAN. 


went  before  were  remarkably  distinctly  given.  1 went 
in  a Japanese  woman’s  dress,  borrowed  at  the  tea-bouse, 
with  a blue  hood  over  my  head,  and  thus  escaped  all 
notice,  but  I found  the  restraint  of  the  scanty  “tied 
forward  ” kimono  very  tiresome.  Ito  gave  me  many 
injunctions  as  to  what  I was  to  do  and  avoid,  which  I 
carried  out  faithfully,  being  nervously  anxious  to  avoid 
jarring  on  the  sensibilities  of  those  who  had  kindly  per- 
mitted a foreigner  to  be  present. 

The  illness  was  a short  one,  and  there  had  been  no 
time  either  for  prayers  or  pilgrimages  on  the  sick  man’s 
behalf.  When  death  occurs  the  body  is  laid  with  its 
head  to  the  north  (a  position  that  the  living  Japanese 
scrupulously  avoid),  near  a folding  screen,  between 
which  and  it  a new  zen  is  placed,  on  which  are  a saucer 
of  oil  with  a lighted  rush,  cakes  of  uncooked  rice 
dough,  and  a saucer  of  incense  sticks.  The  priests 
directly  after  death  choose  the  kaimiyo  or  posthumous 
name,  write  it  on  a tablet  of  white  wood,  and  seat 
themselves  by  the  corpse ; his  zen,  bowls,  cups,  etc., 
are  filled  with  vegetable  food,  and  are  placed  by  his 
side,  the  chopsticks  being  put  on  the  wrong,  i.e.  the 
left  side  of  the  zen.  At  the  end  of  forty-eight  hours 
the  corpse  is  arranged  for  the  coflBn  by  being  wmshed 
with  warm  water,  and  the  priest,  while  saying  certain 
prayers,  shaves  the  head.  In  all  cases,  rich  or  poor, 
the  dress  is  of  the  usual  make,  but  of  pure  white  linen 
or  cotton. 

At  Omagori,  a town  near  Rokugo,  large  earthenware 
jars  are  manufactured,  which  are  much  used  for  inter- 
ment by  the  wealthy,  but  in  this  case  there  were  two 
square  boxes,  the  outer  one  being  of  finely  planed 
wood  of  the  Retinoapora  ohtusa.  The  poor  use  what  is 
called  the  “ quick-tub,”  a covered  tub  of  pine  hooped 
with  bamboo.  Women  are  dressed  for  burial  in  the 


DEATH  AND  BURIAL. 


299 


silk  robe  worn  on  the  marriage  day,  tahi  are  placed 
beside  them  or  on  their  feet,  and  their  hair  usiially 
flows  loosely  behind  them.  The  wealthiest  people  fill 
the  cofiBn  with  vermilion,  and  the  poorest  use  chaff,  but 
in  this  case  I heard  that  only  the  mouth,  nose,  and  ears 
were  filled  with  vermilion,  and  that  the  coffin  was 
lilled  up  with  coarse  incense.  The  body  is  placed 
within  the  tub  or  box  in  the  usual  squatting  position, 
ft  is  impossible  to  understand  how  a human  body, 
many  hours  after  death,  can  be  pressed  into  the  lim- 
ited space  afforded  by  even  the  outermost  of  the  boxes. 
It  has  been  said  that  the  rigidity  of  a corpse  is  over- 
come by  the  use  of  a powder  called  dosia,  which  is  sold 
by  the  priests,  but  this  idea  has  been  exploded,  and  the 
process  remains  incomprehensible. 

Bannerets  of  small  size  and  ornamental  staves  were 
outside  the  house  door.  Two  men  in  blue  dresses, 
with  pale  blue  over-garments  resembling  wings,  re- 
ceived each  person,  two  more  presented  a lacquered 
bowl  of  water  and  a white  silk  crepe  towel,  and  then 
we  passed  into  a large  room  round  which  were  ar- 
ranged a number  of  very  handsome  folding  screens, 
on  which  lotuses,  storks,  and  peonies  were  realistically 
painted,  on  a dead  gold  ground.  Near  the  end  of  the 
room  the  coffin,  under  a canopy  of  white  silk,  upon 
which  there  was  a very  beautiful  arrangement  of  artifi- 
cial white  lotuses  ^ rested  upon  trestles,  the  face  of  the 


^ The  only  reason  I can  ascertain  for  the  constant  recurrence  of  the 
lotus  in  Buddhist  art  and  ceremonial  is  the  idea  of  its  being  the  symbol 
of  purity.  Its  scent  and  aspect  are  alike  delightful,  and  though  rooted 
In  mud  and  slime  it  abhors  all  defilement.  If,  therefore,  men  would 
but  take  it  as  their  model,  they  would  escape  all  the  contamination  of 
this  corrupt  world  Every  mau,  it  is  said,  has  a lotus  in  his  bosom, 
which  will  blossom  forth  if  he  call  in  the  assistance  of  Buddha.  It  is 
on  account  of  the  generally  high  esteem  in  which  the  lotus  is  held  that 
it  is  carried  before  the  corpse  at  funerals,  symbolising  as  it  does  the 
desire  of  the  survivors  for  the  i ew  birth  of  their  departed  friend  into 
Paradise  and  the  “ Lotus-Seat  ” 


300 


UNBEATEN  TRACKS  IN  JARAJS. 


corpse  being  turned  towards  the  north.  Six  priest8^ 
very  magnificently  dressed,  sat  on  each  side  of  the 
coffin,  and  two  more  knelt  in  front  of  a small  tempo- 
rary altar. 

The  widow,  an  extremely  pretty  woman,  squatted 
near  the  deceased,  below  the  father  and  mother ; and 
after  her  came  the  children,  relatives,  and  friends,  who 
sat  in  rows,  dressed  in  winged  garments  of  blue  and 
white.  The  widow  was  painted  white ; her  lips  were 
reddened  with  vermilion ; her  hair  was  elaborately 
dressed  and  ornamented  with  carved  shell  pins;  she 
wore  a beautiful  dress  of  sky  blue  silk,  with  a haori  of 
fine  white  crepe  and  a scarlet  crepe  girdle  embroidered 
In  gold,  and  looked  like  a bride  on  her  marriage  day, 
rather  than  a widow.  Indeed,  owing  to  the  beauty  of 
the  dresses,  and  the  amount  of  blue  and  white  silk,  the 
room  had  a festal  rather  than  a funereal  look.  When 
all  the  giiests  had  arrived,  tea  and  sweetmeats  were 
passed  round ; incense  was  burned  profusely ; litanies 
were  mumbled,  and  the  bustle  of  moving  to  the  grave 
began,  during  which  I secured  a place  near  the  gate  of 
the  temple  grounds. 

The  procession  did  not  contain  the  father  or  mother 
of  the  deceased,  but  I understood  that  the  mourners 
who  composed  it  were  all  relatives.  The  oblong  tablet 
with  the  “ dead  name  ” of  the  deceased  was  carried 
first  by  a priest,  then  the  lotus  blossom  by  another 
priest,  then  ten  priests  followed  two  and  two,  chanting 
litanies  from  books,  then  came  the  coffin  on  a platform 
borne  by  four  men,  and  covered  with  white  drapery, 
then  the  widow,  and  then  the  other  relatives.  The 
coffin  was  carried  into  the  temple  and  laid  upon  ties- 
tles,  while  incense  was  burned  and  prayei-s  were  said, 
and  was  then  carried  to  a shallow  grave  lined  with 
cement,  and  praj^ers  were  said  by  the  priests  until  the 


BURIAL  ETIQUETTE. 


301 


earth  was  raised  to  the  proper  level,  when  all  dispersed 
and  the  Avidow,  in  her  gay  attire,  walked  home  unat- 
tended. There  were  no  hired  mourners  or  any  signs 
of  grief,  but  nothing  could  be  more  solemn,  reverent, 
and  decorous,  than  the  whole  serAuce.  [I  have  since 
seen  many  funerals,  chiefly  of  the  poor,  and  though 
shorn  of  much  of  the  ceremony,  and  with  only  one 
officiating  priest,  the  decorum  was  always  most  remark- 
able.] The  fees  tu  the  priests  are  from  2 iip  to  40  or 
50  ^en.  The  graveyard  which  surrounds  the  temple 
was  extremely  beautiful,  and  the  cryptomeria  specially 
fine.  It  was  very  full  of  stone  gravestones,  and  like 
all  Japanese  cemeteries,  exquisitely  kept.  As  soon  as 
the  grave  Avas  filled  in,  a life-size  pink  lotus  plant 
was  placed  upon  it,  and  a lacquer  tray,  on  which  were 
lacquer  boAvls  containing  tea  or  sakS,  beans,  and  sweet- 
meats. 

The  periods  of  mourning  are  very  rigidly  observed. 
Mr.  Mitford,  in  a note  to  The  Tales  of  Old  Japan.,  trans- 
lates some  funeral  directions  given  in  a book  called  the 
Shorei  Hikki,  in  v/hich  it  is  said,  “ The  burial  of  his 
parents  is  the  most  important  ceremony  which  a man 
has  to  go  through  in  his  whole  life,”  ^ consequently 
after  it  has  been  performed  with  befitting  ceremony, 
deep  mourning  for  either  father  or  mother  lasts  fifty 
days,  during  which  time  the  cliildren  must  abstain 
from  sake,  and  visit  the  graA^e  and  the  temple  of  the 
burial-service  daily,  but  no  other  tera  or  mi)/a.  For 
husbands,  wives,  brothers,  sisters,  and  first-born  chil- 

1 The  same  book  gives  the  following  cautions  to  mournei  s,  ihe  two 
last  of  which  are  not  altogether  inapplicable  at  home.  “ When  invited 
to  a friend’s  or  neighbour’s  funeral  a man  should  avoid  putting  on  smart 
clothes  or  dresses  of  ceremony,  and  when  he  follows  the  coffin  he 
should  not  speak  in  a loud  voice  to  the  person  next  him,  for  that  would 
be  very  rude,  and  even  should  he  have  occasion  to  do  so,  he  should 
avoid  entering  wine-shcus  and  tea-houses  on  his  return  froir  the 
funeral.” 


302 


UNBEATEN  TRACKS  IN  JAPAN. 


dren,  the  deep  mourning  only  lasts  twenty  days, 
another  instance  of  the  preponderating  importance 
given  to  the  filial  relation.  For  parents  the  second 
period  of  mourning  lasts  a year,  and  for  the  relatives 
before  mentioned  ninety  days,  and  non-observance  o/ 
the  period  of  mourning  for  parents  or  husband  's  vis- 
ited by  penal  servitude  for  one  year. 

Friends  must  visit  the  grave  on  the  seventh  day, 
and  every  seventh  day  thereafter  until  the  fiftieth  day, 
when  the  priests  recite  prayers,  and  the  mourners  inter- 
change presents.  A ceremonial  visit  is  paid  to  the 
tomb  on  the  hundredth  day,  when  the  tombstone  is 
erected.  It  is  next  visited  on  the  anniversary  of  the 
death,  and  afterwards  on  the  third,  seventh,  thirteenth, 
seventeenth,  fiftieth,  and  hundredth  anniversaries.  A 
tablet  with  the  posthumous  name  takes  its  place  on 
the  god-shelf  of  a house  after  a death,  and  a similar 
one  is  placed  on  a shelf  in  the  temple,  and  offerings 
of  food  are  placed  before  it  according  to  the  liberality  of 
the  survivors  to  the  priests. 

Laths,  or  long  tablets,  inscribed  with  characters  in 
Chinese  or  Sanskrit,  are  placed  upon  the  graves  by  re- 
lations at  their  periodical  visits.  Each  family  has  its 
separate  enclosure  in  the  graveyard.  I have  never 
visited  a cemetery  without  finding  fresh  flowers  in  bam- 
boo flower-holders  on  many  of  the  graves,  and  women 
burning  incense  before  the  tombstones.  All  this  rever- 
ence for  the  dead  is,  however,  quite  distmct  from  the 
ancestral  worship  of  the  Chinese.  The  etiquette  of 
burial  and  mourning  is  regulated  by  very  strict  rules. 
Tbe  funeral  ceremonies  vary  according  to  the  usage  of 
the  many  Buddhist  sects,  but  are  always  in  the  hands 
of  Buddhist  priests,  by  a prescriptive  right  from  which 
even  Christian  obsequies  are  only  exempted,  as  they 
have  been  in  some  recent  instances,  by  the  courtesy  of 
the  priests. 


TEMPLE  AT  KOKUGO. 


60S 


The  temple  at  Rokugo  "was  very  beautiful,  and,  ex- 
cept that  its  ornaments  were  superior  in  solidity  and 
good  taste,  differed  little  from  a Romish  church.  The 
low  altar,  on  which  were  lilies  and  lighted  candles,  was 
draped  in  blue  and  silver,  and  on  the  liigh  altar,  draped 
in  ciimson  and  cloth  of  gold,  there  was  nothing  but  o 
losed  shrine,  an  incense  burner,  and  a vase  of  lotuses. 


304 


UNBEATEN  TBACKS  IN  JAPAN. 


POLICEMEN. 

A Ciisual  Indlatioii  — A Ludicrous  Incident  — Politeness  of  a Polic©' 
man  — A Comfortless  Simday — An  Outrageous  Irruption  — A 
Privileged  Stare. 

At  a wayside  tea-house,  soou  after  leaving  Rokugo 
in  kurumas,  I met  the  same  courteous  and  agreeable 
young  doctor,  who  was  stationed  at  Innai  during  the 
prevalence  of  kak'ke,  and  he  invited  me  to  visit  the 
hospital  at  Kubota,  of  which  he  is  junior  physician,  and 
told  Ito  of  a restaurant  at  which  “foreign  food”  can  be 
obtained  — a pleasant  prospect,  of  which  he  is  always 
remmdmg  me. 

Travelling  along  a very  narrow  road,  I as  usual  lirst, 
we  met  a man  leading  a prisoner  by  a rope,  followed  by 
a policeman.  As  soon  as  my  runner  saw  the  latter,  he 
fell  down  on  his  face  so  suddenly  in  the  shafts,  as  uearh' 
to  tlirow  me  out,  at  the  same  time,  trying  to  wriggle 
into  a garment  which  he  had  carried  on  the  crossbar, 
while  the  young  men  who  were  drawing  the  two  kuru- 
mas beliind,  crouching  belihid  my  vehicle,  tried  to  scut- 
tle into  their  clothes.  I never  saw  such  a picture  of 
abjectness  as  my  man  presented.  He  trembled  from 
head  to  foot,  and  illustrated  that  queer  phrase  ofteti 
heard  in  Scotch  Presbjderian  prayers,  “ lay  our  hands 
on  our  mouths  and  our  mouths  in  the  dust.”  He  liter- 
ally grovelled  in  the  dust,  and  with  every  sentence  that 
the  policeman  spoke,  raised  his  head  a little,  to  bow  it 
yet  more  deeply  than  before.  It  was  all  because  he 


CHEATING  A POLICEMAN. 


805 


had  no  clothes  on.  I interceded  for  him  as  the  day  was 
very  hot,  and  the  policeman  said  he  would  not  arrest 
him,  as  he  should  otherwise  have  done,  because  of  the 
inconvenience  that  it  would  cause  to  a foreigner.  He 
was  quite  an  elderly  man,  and  never  recovered  his 
spirils,  but  as  socn  as  a turn  of  the  road  took  us  out  of 
the  policeman’s  sight,  the  two  younger  men  threw  their 
clothes  into  the  air,  and  gambolled  in  the  shafts,  shriek- 
ing with  laughter ! 

On  reaching  Shingoji,  being  too  tired  to  go  farther,  I 
was  dismayed  to  find  nothing  but  a low,  dark,  foul- 
smelling room,  enclosed  only  by  dirty  s/io/f,  in  which  to 
spend  Sunday.  One  side  looked  into  a little  mildewed 
court,  with  a slimy  growth  of  Protococcm  viridis,  and 
into  which  the  people  of  another  house  constantly  came 
to  stare.  The  other  side  opened  on  the  earthen  pas- 
sage into  the  street,  where  travellers  wash  their  feet, 
the  tliird  into  the  kitchen,  and  the  fourth  into  the  front 
room.  Even  before  dark  it  was  alive  with  mosquitoes, 
and  the  fleas  hopped  on  the  mats  like  sand-flies.  There 
were  no  eggs,  nothing  but  rice  and  cucumbers.  At 
five  on  Sunday  morning  I saw  three  faces  pressed 
against  the  outer  lattice,  and  before  evening,  the  shoji 
were  riddled  with  finger-holes,  at  each  of  which  a dark 
eye  appeared.  There  was  a still,  fine  rain  all  day,  with 
the  mercury  at  82°,  and  the  heat,  darkness,  and  smells, 
were  difficult  to  endure.  In  the  afternoon  a small 
procession  passed  the  house,  consisting  of  a decorated 
palanquin,  carried  and  followed  by  priests,  with  capes 
and  stoles  over  crimson  chasubles  and  white  cassocks. 
This  ark,  they  said,  contained  papers  inscribed  with 
the  names  of  people  and  the  evils  they  feared,  and  the 
priests  were  carrying  the  papers  to  throw  them  into 
the  river. 

I went  to  bed  early  as  a refuge  from  mosquitoes,  with 


306 


CTNBEATEN  TRACKS  IN  JAPAN. 


tlie  andon.,  as  usual,  dimly  lighting  the  room,  and  shut 
my  eyes.  About  nine  I heard  a good  deal  of  whisper- 
ing and  shuffling,  which  continued  for  some  time,  and 
on  looking  up,  saw  opposite  to  me,  about  40  men, 
women,  and  children  (Ito  says  100  ),  all  staring  at  me, 
with  the  light  upon  their  faces.  They  had  silently 
removed  three  of  the  sTidji  next  the  passage  ! I called 
Ito  loudly,  and  clapped  my  hands,  but  they  did  not 
stir  till  he  came,  and  then  they  fled  like  a flock  of 
sheep.  I have  patiently,  and  even  smilingly,  borne  aU 
out-of-doors  crowding  and  curiosity,  but  this  kind  of 
intrusion  is  unbearable ; and  I sent  Ito  to  the  police 
station,  much  against  his  will,  to  beg  the  police  to  keep 
the  people  out  of  the  house,  as  the  house-master  Avas 
unable  to  do  so.  Tins  morning,  as  I was  finishing 
dressing,  a policeman  appeared  in  my  room,  ostensibly 
to  apologise  for  the  behaviour  of  the  people,  but  in  real- 
ity to  have  a privileged  stare  at  me,  and  above  all,  at 
my  stretcher  and  mosquito  net,  from  wliich  he  hardly 
took  his  eyes.  Ito  says  he  could  make  a yen  a day  by 
sliowing  them ! The  policeman  said  that  the  people 
had  never  seen  a foreigner.  I.  L.  B. 


PERPLEXING  MISREPRESENTATIONS.  307 


A HOSPITAL  VISIT. 

The  Necessity  of  Firmness  — Perplexing  Misrepresentations  — Glid- 
ing with  the  Stream  — Suburban  Kesidences  — The  Kubota  Hos- 
pital — A Formal  Keception  — Bad  Nursing  — The  Antiseptic 
Treatment  — A Well-arranged  Dispensary  — The  Normal  School 
— Contrasts  and  Incongruities. 

Kubota,  July  23. 

I ARRIVED  here  on  Monday  afternoon  by  the  river 
Omono,  what  would  have  been  two  long  days’  journey 
by  land  having  been  easily  accomplished  in  nine  hours 
by  water.  This  was  an  instance  of  forming  a plan 
wisely,  and  adhering  to  it  resolutely ! Firmness  in 
travelling  is  nowhere  more  necessary  than  in  Japan.  I 
decided  some  time  ago,  from  Mr.  Brunton’s  map,  that 
the  Omono  must  be  navigable  from  Shingoji,  and  a 
week  ago  told  Ito  to  inquire  about  it,  but  at  each  place 
difficulties  have  been  started.  There  was  too  much 
water,  there  was  too  little  ; there  were  bad  rapids,  there 
were  shallows  ; it  was  too  late  in  the  year ; all  the  boats 
which  had  started  lately  were  lying  aground ; but  at 
one  of  the  ferries  I saw  in  the  distance  a merchandise 
boat  going  down,  and  told  Ito  I should  go  that  way  and 
nc  other.  On  arriving  at  Shingoji  they  said  it  was  not 
on  the  Omono  at  all,  but  on  a stream  with  some  very 
bad  rapids,  in  which  boats  are  broken  to  pieces.  Lastly, 
they  said  there  was  no  boat,  but  on  my  saying  that  I 
would  send  ten  miles  for  one,  a small,  flat-bottomed 
scow  was  produced  by  the  Transport  Agent,  into  which 
Ito,  the  luggage,  and  myself  accurately  fitted.  Ito  sen- 


”08  UNBEATEN  TRACKS  IN  JAPAN. 

tentiously  observed,  “Not  one  thing  has  been  lold  ua 
on  our  journey  which  has  turned  out  true ! ” This  is 
not  an  exaggeration.  The  usual  crowd  did  not  assem- 
ble round  the  door,  but  preceded  me  to  the  river,  where 
it  covered  the  banks  and  clustered  in  the  trees.  Four 
policemen  escorted  me  down.  The  voyage  of  forty-two 
miles  was  delightful.  The  rapids  were  a mere  ripple, 
the  current  was  strong,  one  boatman  almost  slept  upon 
his  paddle,  the  other  only  woke  to  bale  the  boat  when 
it  was  half-full  of  water,  the  shores  were  silent  and 
pretty,  and  almost  without  population,  till  we  reached 
the  large  town  of  Araya,  which  straggles  along  a high 
bank  for  a considerable  distance,  and  after  nine  peace- 
ful hours  we  turned  off  from  the  main  stream  of  the 
Omono  just  at  the  outskirts  of  Kubota,  and  poled  up  a 
narrow,  green  river,  fringed  by  dilapidated  backs  of 
houses,  boat-building  yards,  and  rafts  of  timber  on  one 
side,  and  dwelling-houses,  gardens,  and  damp  greenery 
on  the  other.  This  stream  is  crossed  by  very  nmnerous 
bridges. 

I got  a cheerful  upstairs  room  at  a most  friendly 
yadoya.,  aud  my  three  days  here  have  been  fully  occu- 
pied and  very  pleasant.  “ Foreign  food  ” — a good  beef- 
steak, an  excellent  curry,  cucumbers,  and  foreign  salt 
and  mustard  were  at  once  obtained,  and  I felt  my  “ eyes 
lightened  ” after  partakmg  of  them. 

Kubota  is  a very  attractive  and  purely  Japanese 
town  of  36,000  people,  the  capital  of  Akita  hen.  A fine 
mountain,  called  Taiheisan,  rises  above  its  fertile  valley, 
and  the  Omono  falls  into  the  Sea  of  Japan  close  to  it. 
It  has  a number  of  kurumas,  but  o'U’ing  to  heavy  sand 
and  the  badness  of  the  roads  they  can  only  go  three 
miles  in  any  direction.  It  is  a town  of  activity  and 
brisk  trade,  and  manufactures  a silk  fabric  in  stripes  of 
blue  and  black,  and  yellow  and  black,  much  used  foi 


A FORMAL  RECEPTION. 


309 


making  hakama  and  kimonos.,  a species  of  wliite  silk 
crepe  with  a raised  woof,  which  brings  a high  price  in 
TOkiyS  shops, /ttSMwa,  and  clogs.  Though  it  is  a castle 
town,  it  is  free  from  the  usual  “deadly  lively”  look, 
and  has  an  air  of  prosperity  and  comfort.  Though  it 
has  few  streets  of  shops,  it  covers  a great  extent  of 
ground  with  streets  and  lanes  of  pretty,  isolated  dwell- 
ing-houses, surrounded  by  trees,  gardens,  and  well- 
trimmed  hedges,  each  garden  entered  by  a substantial 
gateway.  The  existence  of  something  like  a middle 
class  with  home  privacy  and  home  life  is  suggested  by 
these  miles  of  comfortable  “ suburban  residences.” 
Foreign  influence  is  hardly  at  all  felt,  there  is  not  a 
single  foreigner  in  Government  or  any  other  employ- 
ment, and  even  the  hospital  was  organised  from  the 
beginning  by  Japanese  doctors. 

This  fact  made  me  greatly  desire  to  see  it,  but  on 
going  there  at  the  proper  hour  for  visitors,  I was  met 
by  the  Director  with  courteous  but  vexatious  denial. 
No  foreigner  could  see  it,  he  said,  without  sending  his 
passport  to  the  Governor  and  getting  a written  order, 
so  I complied  with  these  preliminaries,  and  8 A.M.  of 
the  next  day  was  flxed  for  my  visit.  Ito,  who  is  lazy 
about  interpreting  for  the  lower  orders,  but  exerts  him- 
self to  the  utmost  on  such  an  occasion  as  this,  went 
with  me,  handsomely  clothed  in  silk,  as  befitted  an 
“ Interpreter,”  and  surpassed  all  his  former  efforts. 

The  Director  and  the  staff  of  six  physicians,  all  hand- 
somely dressed  in  silk,  met  me  at  the  top  of  the  stairs, 
and  condueted  me  to  the  management  room,  where  six 
clerks  were  writing.  Here  there  was  a table  solemnly 
covered  with  a white  cloth,  and  four  chairs,  on  wliich 
the  Director,  the  Cliief  Physician,  Ito,  and  I sat,  and 
pipes,  tea,  and  sweetmeats  were  produced.  After  this, 
accompanied  by  fifty  medical  students,  whose  intelligent 


310 


UNBEATEN  TRACKS  IN  JAP  Ay. 


looks  promise  well  for  their  success,  we  weut  round  the 
hospital,  wliich  is  a large  two-storied  building  in  semi- 
European  style,  but  with  deep  verandahs  all  round. 
The  upper  floor  is  used  for  class-rooms,  and  the  lower 
accommodates  100  patients,  besides  a number  of  resi- 
dent students.  Ten  is  the  largest  number  treated  in 
any  one  room,  and  severe  cases  are  treated  in  separat« 
rooms.  Gangrene  has  prevailed,  and  the  Chief  Physi- 
cian, who  is  at  tliis  time  remodelling  the  hospital,  has 
closed  some  of  the  wards  in  consequence.  There  is  a 
Lock  Hospital  under  the  same  roof.  About  fifty  im- 
portant operations  are  annually  performed  under  chloro- 
form, but  the  people  of  Akita  ken  are  very  conservative, 
and  object  to  part  with  them  limbs  and  to  foreign  dings. 
This  conservatism  diminishes  the  number  of  patients. 

Dr.  Kayobashi,  the  new  Chief  Physician,  is  fresh 
from  the  Medical  College  at  TSkiyo,  and  has  introduced 
the  antiseptic  treatment  with  great  success.  Beds  are 
not  used.  He  approves  of  them,  but  finds  it  necessary 
at  present  to  yield  to  the  strong  prejudice  against  them. 
The  nursing  here,  as  everywhere,  is  a weak  point,  to 
say  the  least  of  it.  There  are  a few  male  and  female 
nurses,  but  the  patients  usually  bring  friends  vuth  them, 
who  take  charge  of  them,  and  do  not  carry  out  medical 
instructions  hi  doing  so.  The  kitchen  was  not  us  nice 
as  it  should  be,  and  smelt  of  the  daikon  and  fried  fish 
which  the  cooks  were  eating,  and  the  irori  looked  very 
small  for  much  cooking ; but  this  is  accounted  for  by 
Ihe  fact  that  the  friends  cook  on  the  hibacJii  m the 
wards.  The  diet  is  liberal,  but  on  the  whole  strictly 
Japanese.  Meat  is  given  m a few  cases,  and  brandy, 
port  wine,  and  claret  in  many,  but  the  wine  and  brandy 
are  always  beaten  up  with  eggs.  Ad\ice  and  medicine 
are  supplied  daily  to  about  eighty  out-patients. 

I was  interested  here,  as  elsewhere,  to  find  that  the 


A MODEL  DISPENSARY. 


311 


Government,  in  establishiing  hospitals  on  the  foreign 
plan,  is  conserving  the  independence  of  the  people,  so 
that  they  can  hardly  be  called  charitable  institutions. 
The  out-patients  pay  for  medicines,  and  the  in-patients 
pay  so  mueh  per  day,  and  only  absolutely  destitute 
persons  are  received  gratuitously  on  getting  an  order 
from  the  Governor. 

I was  better  pleased  with  the  dispensary  than  with 
the  in-patient  department.  Its  arrangements  are  ad- 
mirable, and  the  lofty,  light,  and  airy  rooms  leave 
nothing  to  be  desired.  There  were  sixty  patients  in 
the  waiting-room,  a fine  room,  thirty-five  feet  square, 
furnished  with  benches.  Their  names  are  called  in 
alphabetical  order,  and  on  the  decision  of  one  of  the 
junior  physicians  each  proceeds  into  one  of  three  light 
and  conveniently  fitted-up  consulting  rooms,  devoted 
respectively  to  medical,  surgical,  and  eye  cases.  Each 
receives  a prescription  which  is  entered  in  a book,  and 
numbered  with  a number  which  corresponds  with  a 
similar  one  on  the  patient’s  bottle.  After  being  pre- 
scribed for  the  patients  pass  into  a large  waiting-room 
with  a counter  at  an  opening  into  the  dispensing  room, 
where  in  due  time  they  receive  their  medicines.  The 
dispensing  room  is  a fine  room,  very  carefully  fitted  up 
in  the  most  approved  style,  the  drugs  being  arranged 
on  shelves  and  neatly  labelled  with  the  Latin  and 
Japanese  names.  A senior  dispenser  and  four  student 
assistants  were  at  work  there. 

The  odour  of  carbolic  acid  pervaded  the  whole  hos- 
pital, and  there  were  spray  producers  enough  to  satisfy 
Mr.  Lister ! At  the  request  of  Dr.  K.  I saw  the  dress- 
ing of  some  very  severe  wounds  carefully  performed 
with  carbolised  gauze,  under  spray  of  carbolic  acid,  the 
fingers  of  the  surgeon  and  the  instruments  used  being 
all  carefully  bathed  in  the  disinfectant.  Dr,  K.  said  it 


312 


UNBEATEN  TRACKS  IN  JAPAN. 


was  difficult  to  teach  the  students  the  extreme  careful 
ness  with  regard  to  minor  details  which  is  required  in 
the  antiseptic  treatment,  which  he  regards  as  one  of  the 
greatest  discoveries  of  this  century.  I was  ver}"  much 
impressed  with  the  fortitude  shown  by  the  surgical 
patients,  who  went  through  very  severe  pain  without  a 
wince  or  a moan.  Eye  cases  are  unfortunately  very 
numerous.  Dr.  K.  attributes  their  extreme  prevalence 
to  overcrowding,  defective  ventilation,  poor  living,  and 
bad  light. 

The  hospital  is  also  a medical  school  with  100  stu- 
dents, and  its  diploma  entitles  the  receiver  to  practise 
medicine  in  Akita  ken.  The  large  class-rooms  are  well 
fitted  up  with  German  and  English  diagrams,  but  the 
museum  is  scantily  supplied  with  anatomical  prepara- 
tions, and  the  skeleton  is  of  a low-t3'pe  savage  from 
Micronesia.  It  has  been  impossible  to  get  a Japanese 
skeleton,  and  the  onlj"  cases  in  which  subjects  for  dis 
section  can  be  procured  are  those  in  which  the  friends 
of  patients  are  exceptionally  grateful,  and  the  cause  of 
death  has  not  been  discovered  during  life.  After  our 
round  we  returned  to  the  management  room  to  find  a 
meal  laid  out  in  English  style,  coffee  in  cups  vdth 
handles  and  saucers,  and  plates  with  spoons.  After 
this  pipes  were  again  produced,  and  the  Director  and 
medical  staff  escorted  me  to  the  entrance,  where  we  all 
bowed  profoundly.  I was  delighted  to  see  that  Dr. 
Kajmbashi,  a man  under  thirty,  and  fresh  from  Tokiyo, 
and  all  the  staff  and  students  were  in  the  national 
di  ess,  with  the  liakama  of  rich  silk.  It  is  a beautiful 
dress,  and  assists  dignity  as  much  as  the  ill-fitting 
European  costume  detracts  from  it.  This  was  a very 
interesting  visit,  in  spite  of  the  difficult}'  of  communi- 
cation through  an  interpreter. 

The  public  buildings,  with  their  fine  gardens,  and  the 


A ]V0B3fAL  SCHOOL. 


313 


broad  road  uear  which  they  stand,  with  its  stone-faced 
embankments,  are  very  striking  in  such  a far-off  hen, 
Among  the  finest  of  the  buildings  is  the  Normal  School, 
where  I shortly  afterwards  presented  myself,  but  I was 
not  admitted  till  I had  shown  my  passport  and  ex- 
plained my  objects  in  travelling.  These  preliminaries 
being  settled,  IVIr.  Tomatsu  Aoki,  the  Chief  Director, 
and  Mr.  Shude  Kane  Nigishi,  the  principal  teacher,  both 
looking  more  like  monkeys  than  men  in  their  European 
clothes,  lionised  me. 

The  first  was  most  trying,  for  he  persisted  in  attempt- 
ing to  speak  English,  of  which  he  knows  about  as  much 
as  I know  of  Japanese,  but  the  last,  after  some  grotesque 
attempts,  accepted  Ito’s  services.  The  school  is  a com- 
modious Europeanised  building,  three  storeys  high,  and 
from  its  upper  balcony  the  view  of  the  city,  with  its 
grey  roofs  and  abundant  greenery,  and  surrounding 
mountains  and  valleys,  is  very  fine.  The  equipments 
of  the  different  class-rooms  surprised  me,  especially  the 
laboratory  of  the  chemical  class-room,  and  the  truly 
magnificent  illustrative  apparatus  in  the  natural  science 
class-room.  Ganot’s  “ Physics  ” is  the  text  book  of  that 
department. 

There  are  25  teachers,  and  700  pupils  between  the 
ages  of  6 and  20.  They  teach  reading,  writing,  arith- 
metic, geography,  history,  political  economy  after  John 
Stuart  Mill,  chemistry,  botany,  a course  of  natural  sci- 
ence, geometry,  and  mensuration.  From  6 to  14  the 
fees  are  15  sen  per  month,  after  that  25,  and  the  extra 
expense  is  defrayed  by  an  education  rate.  The  pupils 
sit  on  forms  with  backs  at  separate  desks,  the  school 
furniture  being  on  the  American  model.  The  two  ex- 
amination-rooms are  fifty  feet  square.  The  whole  is  in 
admirable  order.  The  Director  said  that  the  ambitious 
boys  all  intend  to  be  doctors,  advocates,  or  engineers, 


314 


UNBEATEN  TRACKS  IN  JAPAN. 


and  that  the  education  given  in  this  school  is  an  admir- 
able preparation  for  the  special  schools  connected  with 
these  professions. 

I have  written  that  foreign  influence  is  hardly  felt 
in  Kubota,  I mean  the  influence  of  direct  contact  with 
foreigners ; hut  both  the  school  and  hospital  are  per- 
vaded by  foreign  science  and  system.  Before  leaving, 
knowing  what  the  reply  would  be,  I asked  the  teacher 
if  they  taught  religion,  and  both  the  gentlemen  laughed 
with  undisguised  contempt.  “We  have  no  religion,” 
the  teacher  said,  “ and  all  your  learned  men  know  that 
religion  is  false.” 

An  Imperial  throne  founded  on  an  exploded  religious 
fiction,  a State  religion  receiving  an  outward  homage 
from  those  who  ridicule  it,  scepticism  rampant  among 
the  educated  classes,  and  an  ignorant  priesthood  lording 
it  over  the  lower  classes ; an  Empire  with  a splendid 
despotism  for  its  apex,  and  naked  coolies  for  its  base,  a 
bald  materialism  its  highest  creed  and  material  good  its 
goal,  reforming,  destroying,  constructing,  appropriating 
the  fruits  of  Christian  civilisation,  but  rejecting  the 
tree  from  which  they  spring  — such  are  among  the  con 
trasts  and  incongruities  everywhere ! 


1.  L.  B. 


A POLICE  ESCORT. 


316 


THE  POLICE  FORCE. 

A,  Silk  Factory  — Employment  for  Women  — A Police  Escort  — The 
Japanese  Police  Force  — A Euined  Castle  — Tlie  increasing  Study 
of  Law. 

Kubota,  July  23. 

My  next  visit  was  to  a factory  of  haudloom  silk- 
weavers,  where  180  hands,  half  of  them  women,  are 
employed.  These  new  industrial  openings  for  respect- 
able employment  for  women  and  girls  are  very  impor- 
tant, and  tend  in  the  direction  of  a much-needed  social 
reform.  The  striped  silk  fabrics  produced  are  entirely 
for  home  consumption. 

Afterwards  I went  into  the  principal  street,  and  after 
a long  search  through  the  shops,  bought  some  condensed 
milk  with  the  “ Eagle  ” brand  and  the  label  all  right, 
but  on  opening  it  found  it  to  contain  small  pellets  of  a 
brownish,  dried  curd,  with  an  unpleasant  taste  ! As  I 
was  sitting  in  the  shop  half  stifled  by  the  crowd,  the 
people  suddenly  fell  back  to  a respectful  distance,  leav- 
ing me  breathing  space,  and  a message  came  from  the 
chief  of  police  to  say  that  he  was  very  sorry  for  the 
crowding,  and  had  ordered  two  policemen  to  attend 
upon  me  for  the  remainder  of  my  visit.  The  black  and 
yellow  uniforms  were  most  truly  welcome,  and  since 
then  I have  escaped  all  annoyance.  On  my  return  I 
found  the  card  of  the  chief  of  police,  who  had  left  a 
message  with  the  house-master  apologising  for  the  crowd 
by  saj’ing  that  foreigners  very  rarely  visited  Kubota, 


316 


UNBEATEN  TRACKS  IN  JAPAN. 


and  he  thought  that  the  people  had  never  seen  a foreigc 
woman. 

I went  afterwards  to  the  central  police  station  tc 
inquire  about  an  inland  route  to  Aomori,  and  received 
much  courtesy,  but  no  information.  The  police  every- 
where are  very  gentle  to  the  people,  — a few  quiet  words 
OJ  a wave  of  the  hand  are  sufficient,  when  they  do  not 
resist  them.  They  belong  to  the  samurai  class,  and 
doubtless  their  naturally  superior  position  weighs  with 
the  heimin.  Their  faces  and  a certain  hauteur  of  man- 
ner show  the  indelible  class  distinction.  The  entire 
police  force  of  Japan  numbers  23,300  educated  men 
in  the  prime  of  life,  and  if  30  per  cent  of  them  do 
wear  spectacles,  it  does  not  detract  fi-om  their  useful- 
ness. 5600  of  them  are  stationed  at  Yedo,  as  from 
thence  they  can  be  easily  sent  wherever  they  are  wanted, 
1004  at  KiyOto,  and  815  at  Osaka,  and  the  remaining 
10,000  are  spread  over  the  country.  The  police  force 
costs  something  over  £400,000  annually,  and  certainly 
is  very  efficient  in  preserving  good  order.  The  pay  of 
ordinary  constables  ranges  from  6 to  10  yen  a month. 
An  enormous  quantity  of  superfluous  writing  is  done  by 
ill  officialdom  in  Japan,  and  one  usually  sees  policemen 
writing.  What  comes  of  it  I don’t  know.  They  are 
mostly  intelligent  and  gentlemanly-looking  young  men, 
and  foreigners  in  the  interior  are  really  much  indebted 
to  them.  If  I am  at  any  time  in  difficulties  I apply  to 
them,  and  though  they  are  disposed  to  be  somewhat  de 
haul  en  has  they  are  sure  to  help  one,  except  about 
rentes,  of  which  they  alwa3’s  profess  ignorance. 

Kubota  has  a grand  enclosure  for  the  daimiyo's  castle, 
three  embankments,  and  three  moats  on  elevated  ground, 
and  some  clumps  of  fine  timber ; but  all  the  castle  that 
has  not  been  removed  is  ruinous  — ruiu  vdthout  jiic- 
tuiesqueness,  that  ramshackle  sort  of  ruin  hito  which 


A CROP  OF  ADVOCATES. 


317 


neglected  wooden  buildings  fall.  The  remains  are  a 
gateway  mth  an  overhanging  tiled  roof,  and  a dilapi- 
dated group  of  lath  and  plaster  houses  within,  only  a 
storey  liigh. 

At  Kubota,  as  in  the  other  capitals  of  kens,  there  is  a 
provincial  court  which  has  full  jurisdiction  in  civil  and 
criminal  cases,  but  its  capital  sentences  must  be  con- 
firmed by  a higher  court.  Judge  Deputies,  with  full 
jurisdiction  in  civil,  and  partial  jurisdiction  in  crhninal 
cases,  sit  in  the  chief  towns  of  districts  remote  from 
the  provincial  courts,  and  there  are  minor  courts  for 
petty  matters  in  all  the  larger  towns.  With  the  changes 
in  the  judicial  system  of  Japan,  a crop  of  advocates  is 
springing  up ; now  that  I have  learned  their  sign,  I am 
astonished  at  their  numbers,  and  there  are  so  many  in 
Kubota  that  one  would  suppose  it  a most  litigious  place. 
Law  is  becoming  a favourite  occupation  with  the  samu- 
rai, who  are  usually  skilful  in  the  use  of  the  pen,  and  as 
advocates’  licenses  cost  <£2  yearly,  I think  the  occupa- 
tion must  be  a lucrative  one.  On  the  whole,  I like 
Kubota  better  than  any  other  Japanese  town,  perhaps 
because  it  is  so  completely  Japanese  and  has  no  air  of 
having  seen  better  days.  I no  longer  care  to  meet 
Europeans,  indeed  I should  go  far  out  of  my  way  to 
avoid  them.  I have  become  quite  used  to  Japanese  life, 
and  think  that  I learn  more  about  it  in  travelling  in 
this  solitary  way  than  I should  otherwise.  I.  L.  JL 


318 


UNBEATEN  TRACKS  IN  JAPAN. 


ITO’S  VIRTUES  AND  FAULTS. 

“ A Plague  of  Immoderate  Kain”  — A Confidential  Servant  — Itj’a 
Diary  — Ito’s  Excellences  — Ito’s  Faults  — A Prophecy  of  the  Fu- 
ture of  Japan  — Curious  Queries  — Superfine  English  — Econom- 
ical Travelling — The  Japanese  Pack-horse  again. 

Kubota,  July  24. 

I AJ\i  here  still,  not  altogether  because  the  town  is  fas- 
cinating, but  because  the  rain  is  so  ceaseless  as  to  be 
truly  “ a plague  of  immoderate  rain  and  waters.”  Trav- 
ellers keep  coming  in  with  stories  of  the  impassability 
of  the  roads  and  the  carrying  away  of  bridges.  Ito 
amuses  me  very  much  by  his  remarks.  He  thinks  that 
my  visit  to  the  school  and  hospital  must  have  raised 
Japan  in  my  estimation,  and  he  is  talking  rather  big. 
He  asked  me  if  I noticed  rhat  all  the  students  kept  their 
mouths  shut  like  educated  men  and  residents  of  Tokiyo, 
and  that  all  country  people  keep  theirs  open.  I have 
said  little  about  him  for  some  time,  but  I dailj*  feel 
more  dependent  on  him,  not  only  for  all  information, 
but  actually  for  getting  on.  At  night  he  has  my  watch, 
passport,  and  half  my  money,  and  I often  wonder  what 
would  become  of  me  if  he  absconded  before  morning. 
He  is  not  a good  boy.  He  has  no  moral  sense,  accord- 
ing to  oiu*  notions  ; he  dislikes  foreigners ; his  manner  is 
often  very  disagreeable  ; and  yet  I doubt  whether  I could 
have  obtained  a more  valuable  servant  and  interpreter. 
When  we  left  TokiyS,  he  spoke  fairly  good  English,  but 
by  practice  and  industrious  study,  he  now  speaks  bettei 


A MODEL  SERVANT. 


319 


than  any  official  interpreter  that  I have  seen,  and  his 
vocabulary  is  daily  increasing.  He  never  uses  a word 
inaccurately  when  he  has  once  got  hold  of  its  meaning, 
and  his  memory  never  fails.  He  keeps  a diary  both  in 
English  and  Japanese,  and  it  shows  much  painstaking 
observation.  He  reads  it  to  me  sometimes,  and  it  is  in- 
teresting to  hear  what  a young  man  who  has  travelled  as 
much  as  he  has  regards  as  novel  in  this  northern  region. 
He  has  made  a hotel  book  and  a transport  book,  in 
which  all  the  bills  and  receipts  are  written,  and  he  daily 
transliterates  the  names  of  all  places  into  English  let 
ters,  and  puts  down  the  distances  and  the  sums  paid  for 
transport  and  hotels  on  each  bill. 

He  inquires  the  number  of  houses  in  each  place 
from  the  police  or  Transport  Agent,  and  the  special 
trade  of  each  town,  and  notes  them  down  for  me.  He 
takes  great  pains  to  be  accurate,  and  occasionally 
remarks  about  some  piece  of  information  that  he  is  not 
quite  certain  about,  “ If  it’s  not  true,  it’s  not  worth  hav- 
ing.” He  is  never  late,  never  dawdles,  never  goes  out 
in  the  evening  except  on  errands  for  me,  never  touches 
sake,  is  never  disobedient,  never  requires  to  be  told  the 
same  thing  twice,  is  always  within  hearing,  has  a good 
deal  of  tact  as  to  what  he  repeats,  and  all  with  an  undis- 
guised view  to  his  own  interest.  He  sends  most  of  his 
wages  to  his  mother,  who  is  a widow  — “ It’s  the  custom 
of  the  country”  — and  seems  to  spend  the  remainder 
on  sweetmeats,  tobacco,  and  the  luxury  of  frequent 
shampooing. 

That  he  would  tell  a lie  if  it  served  his  purpose,  and 
would  “ squeeze  ” up  to  the  limits  of  extortion,  if  he 
could  do  it  unobserved,  I have  not  the  slightest  doubt. 
He  seems  to  have  but  little  heart,  or  any  idea  of  any 
but  vicious  pleasures.  He  has  no  religion  of  any  kind  ; 
he  has  been  too  much  with  foreigners  for  that.  His 


320 


UNBEATEN  TliACKS  IN  JAPAN. 


frajikuess  is  something  startling.  He  has  no  idea  of 
reticence  on  any  subject ; but  probably  T learn  more 
about  things  as  they  really  are,  from  this  very  defect. 
In  virtue  in  man  or  woman,  except  in  that  of  his  former 
master,  he  has  little,  if  any  belief.  He  thinks  that 
Japan  is  right  in  availing  herself  of  the  discoveries 
made  by  foreigners,  that  they  have  as  much  to  learr 
from  her,  and  that  she  will  outstrip  them  in  the  race, 
because  she  takes  all  that  is  worth  ha^dng,  and  rejects 
the  incubus  of  Chi’istianity.  Patriotism  is,  I think, 
his  strongest  feeling,  and  I never  met  with  such  a 
boastful  display  of  it,  except  in  a Scotcliman  or  an 
American.  He  despises  the  uneducated,  as  he  can  read 
and  write  both  the  syllabaries.  For  foreign  rank  or  posi- 
tion he  has  not  an  atom  of  reverence  or  value,  but  a 
great  deal  of  both  for  Japanese  officialdom.  He  despises 
the  intellects  of  women,  but  flirts  in  a town-bred  fash- 
ion with  the  simple  tea-house  girls. 

He  is  anxious  to  speak  the  very  best  English,  and  to 
say  that  a word  is  slangy  or  common,  interdicts  its  use. 
Sometimes,  when  the  weather  is  fine,  and  things  go 
smoothly,  he  is  in  an  excellent  and  communicative 
humour,  and  talks  a good  deal  as  we  travel.  A few 
days  ago,  I remarked,  “ What  a beautiful  day  this  is  ! ” 
and  soon  after,  notebook  in  hand,  he  said,  “You  say  ‘a 
beautiful  day.’  Is  that  better  English  than  ‘ a devilish 
fine  day,’  which  most  foreigners  say  ? ” I replied  that 
it  was  “ common,”  and  “ beautiful  ” has  been  brought 
out  frequently  since.  Again,  “ When  you  ask  a ques- 
tion, you  never  say,  ‘ What  the  d — 1 is  it  ? ’ as  other  for- 
eigners do.  Is  it  proper  for  men  lo  say  it  and  not  for 
women?”  I told  Irirn  it  was  proper  for  neither,  it  was 
a very  “ common  ” word,  and  I saw  that  he  erased  it 
from  his  notebook.  At  first  lie  always  used  fellows  for 
men,  as,  “ Will  you  have  one  or  two  fellows  for  youi 


AN  APT  PUPIL. 


321 


kuruma?’’''  '■‘■fellows  and  women.”  At  last  he  called 
the  Chief  Physician  of  the  hospital  here  a fellow,  on 
which  I told  him  that  it  was  slightly  slangy,  and  at 
least  “ colloquial,”  and  for  two  days  he  has  scrupu- 
lously spoken  of  man  and  men.  To-day  he  brought  a 
boy  with  very  sore  eyes  to  see  me,  on  which  I exclaimed, 
“Poor  little  fellow!”  and  this  evening  he  said,  “You 
called  that  boy  a fellow,  I thought  it  was  a bad  word  I ” 
The  habits  of  many  of  the  Yokohama  foreigners  have 
helped  to  obliterate  any  distinctions  between  right  and 
wrong,  if  he  ever  made  any.  If  he  wishes  to  tell  me 
that  he  has  seen  a very  tipsy  man,  he  always  says  he 
has  seen  “a  fellow  as  drunk  as  an  Englishman.”  At 
NikkS  I asked  him  how  many  legal  wives  a man  could 
have  in  Japan,  and  he  replied,  “ Only  one  lawful  one, 
but  as  many  others  (mekake')  as  he  can  support,  just  as 
Englishmen  have.”  He  never  forgets  a correction. 
Till  I told  him  it  was  slangy,  he  always  spoke  of  inebri- 
ated people  as  “ tight,”  and  when  I gave  him  the  words 
“tipsy,”  “drunk,”  “intoxicated,”  he  asked  me  which 
one  would  use  in  writing  good  English,  and  since  then 
he  has  always  spoken  of  people  as  “ intoxicated.” 

He  naturally  likes  large  towns,  and  tries  to  deter  me 
from  taking  the  “ unbeaten  tracks  ” which  I prefer ; but 
when  he  finds  me  immovable,  always  concludes  his 
arguments  with  the  same  formula,  “Well,  of  course  you 
can  do  as  you  like,  it’s  all  the  same  to  me.”  I do  not 
think  he  cheats  me  to  any  extent.  Board,  lodging,  and 
travelling  expenses  for  us  both  are  about  6s.  6d.  a day, 
and  about  2s.  6d.  when  we  are  stationary,  and  this  in- 
cludes all  gratuities  and  extras.  True,  the  board  and 
lodging  consist  of  tea,  rice,  and  eggs,  a copper  basin  of 
water,  an  andon  and  an  empty  room,  for  though  there 
are  plenty  of  chickens  in  all  the  villages,  the  people 
won’t  be  bribed  to  sell  them  for  killing,  though  thej 


UNBEATEN  TRACKS  IN  JAR  AN. 


would  gladly  part  with  them  if  they  were  to  be  kept  to 
lay  eggs.  Ito  amuses  me  nearly  every  night  with 
stories  of  his  unsuccessful  attempts  to  provide  me  with 
animal  food. 

The  travelling  is  the  nearest  approach  to  “ a ride  on 
a rad.  ” that  I have  ever  made.  I have  now  ridden  or 
rather  sat  upon  seventy-six  horses,  all  horrible.  They 
all  stumble.  The  loins  of  some  are  higher  than  their 
shoulders,  so  that  one  slips  forwards,  and  the  back  bones 
of  all  are  ridgy.  Their  hind  feet  grow  into  points 
which  turn  up,  and  their  hind  legs  all  turn  outwards, 
like  those  of  a cat,  from  carrying  heavy  burdens  at  an 
early  age.  The  same  thing  gives  them  a roll  in  their 
gait,  which  is  increased  by  their  awkward  shoes.  In 
summer  they  feed  chiefly  on  leaves,  supplemented  with 
mashes  of  bruised  beans,  and  instead  of  straAv  they 
sleep  on  beds  of  leaves.  In  their  stalls  their  heads  are 
tied  “ where  their  tails  should  be,”  and  their  fodder  is 
placed  not  in  a manger,  but  in  a swinging  bucket. 
Those  used  in  this  part  of  Japan  are  worth  from  15  to 
30  ye7i.  I have  not  seen  any  overloading  or  ill-treat- 
ment ; they  are  neither  kicked,  nor  beaten,  nor  threat- 
ened in  rough  tones,  and  when  they  die  they  are  de- 
cently buried,  and  have  stones  placed  over  their  graves. 
It  might  be  well  if  the  end  of  a worn-out  horse  were 
somewhat  accelerated,  but  this  is  mainly  a Buddhist 
region,  and  the  aversion  to  taking  animal  life  is  very 
strong.  I.  L.  B. 


AFTERNOON  VISITORS. 


323 


A WEDDING  CEREMONY. 

The  Symbolism  of  Seaweed — Afternoon  Visitors  — An  Infant  Prod- 
igy — A Feat  in  Calligraphy  — Child  Worship  — The  Japanese  Seal 
— A Borrowed  Dress  — Marriage  Arrangements  — A Trousseau  — 
House  Furniture  — The  Marriage  Ceremony  — A Wife’s  Posi- 
tion— Code  of  Morals  for  Women. 

Kubota,  July  25. 

The  weather  at  last  gives  a hope  of  improvement, 
and  I think  I shall  leave  to-morrow.  I had  written  this 
sentence  when  Ito  came  in  to  say  that  the  man  in  the 
next  house  would  like  to  see  my  stretcher  and  mosquito 
net,  and  had  sent  me  a bag  of  cakes  with  the  usual  bit 
of  seaweed  attached,  to  show  that  it  was  a present. 
The  Japanese  believe  themselves  to  be  descended  from 
a race  of  fishermen ; they  are  proud  of  it,  and  Yebis, 
the  god  of  fishermen,  is  one  of  the  most  popular  of  the 
household  divinities.  The  piece  of  seaweed  sent  with 
a present  to  any  ordinary  person,  and  the  piece  of  dried 
fish-skin  which  accompanies  a present  to  the  Mikado, 
record  the  origin  of  the  race,  and  at  the  same  time 
typify  the  dignity  of  simple  industry. 

Of  course  I consented  to  receive  the  visitor,  and  with 
the  mercury  at  84°,  five  men,  two  boys,  and  five  women 
entered  my  small,  low  room,  and  after  bowing  to  the 
eaith  three  times,  sat  down  on  the  floor.  They  had 
evidently  come  to  spend  the  afternoon.  Trays  of  tea 
and  sweetmeats  were  handed  round,  and  a tahako~bon  was 
brought  in,  and  they  all  smoked,  as  I had  told  Ito  that 
all  usual  courtesies  were  to  be  punctiliously  performed. 


324 


UNBEATEN  TRACKS  IN  JAPAN. 


They  expressed  their  gratification  at  seeing  so  “hon- 
ourable ” a traveller.  I expressed  mine  at  seeing  so 
much  of  their  “ honourable  ” country.  Then  we  all 
bowed  profoundly.  Then  I laid  Brunton’s  map  on  the 
floor  and  showed  them  my  route,  showed  them  the 
Asiatic  Society’s  Transactions,  and  how  we  read  from 
left  to  right,  instead  of  from  to^j  to  bottom,  showed 
thjm  my  knitting,  which  amazed  them,  and  mj"  Berlin 
work,  and  then  had  notliing  left.  Then  they  began  to 
entertain  me,  and  I found  that  the  real  object  of  their 
visit  was  to  exhibit  an  “infant  prodig}%”  a boy  of 
four,  with  a head  shaven  all  but  a tuft  on  the  top,  a 
face  of  preternatural  thoughtfulness  and  gi-avity,  and 
the  self-possessed  and  dignified  demeanour  of  an  elderly 
man.  He  was  dressed  in  scarlet  silk  hakama.,  and  a 
dark,  striped,  blue  silk  kimono.,  and  fanned  himself 
gracefull}^  looking  at  everjdhiiig  as  intelligently  and 
courteously  as  the  others.  To  talk  child’s  talk  to  him, 
or  show  him  toys,  or  try  to  amuse  him,  would  have  been 
an  insult.  The  monster  has  taught  himself  to  read  and 
write,  and  has  composed  poetry.  His  father  says  that 
he  never  plays,  and  understands  ever^dhing  just  like  a 
grown  person.  The  intention  was  that  I should  ask 
him  to  write,  and  I did  so. 

It  was  a solemn  performance.  A red  blanket  was 
laid  in  the  middle  of  the  floor,  with  a lacquer  writing- 
box  upon  it.  The  creature  rubbed  the  iuk  with  water 
on  the  inkstone,  unrolled  four  rolls  of  paper,  five  feet 
long,  and  inscribed  them  with  Chinese  characters,  uine 
indies  long,  of  the  most  complicated  kind,  \vith  firm 
and  graceful  curves  of  his  brush,  and  with  the  ease  and 
certainty  of  Giotto  in  tui’ning  his  o.  He  sealed  them 
with  his  seal  in  vermilion,  bowed  three  times,  and  the 
performance  was  ended.  People  get  him  to  wuite 
kakemonos  and  signboards  for  them,  and  he  had  earned 


A “ JFi:i>I)IJVG  GUEST.” 


325 


ten  yen,  or  about  £2,  that  day.  His  father  is  going 
to  travel  to  KiySto  with  him,  to  see  if  any  one  under 
fourteen  can  write  as  well.  T never  saw  such  an  ex- 
aggerated instance  of  child  worship.  Father,  mother, 
friends,  and  servants,  treated  him  as  if  he  were  a 
prince. 

There  are  two  alphabets,  or  rather  syllabaries,  in 
Japan  — the  Hir alcana,  which  is  a syllabary  of  fortj’- 
seven  syllables,  each  being  represented  by  several  char- 
acters, which  consist  of  abbreviated  cursive  forms  of 
the  more  common  Chinese  characters,  and  containing 
some  hundred  signs,  and  the  Katagana,  which  also  con- 
sists of  a syllabary  of  forty-seven  syllables,  but  with 
only  one  sign  for  each.  Women  almost  invariably  use 
the  first,  but  this  child  wrote  both.  In  Japanese  draw- 
ings you  must  have  noticed  a red  seal  on  one  side. 
Every  one  has  such  a seal,  and  the  writing-boxes  con- 
tain the  vermilion  with  which  the  impression  is  made. 
Even  young  children  become  possessed  of  them.  No 
receipt  or  form  is  valid  without  them.  The  seal  is 
composed  of  the  character  or  characters  forming  a per- 
son’s name,  engraved  usually  in  the  Chinese  seal  char- 
acter. My  visitors  smoked  pipes  all  round,  and  then 
bowed  themselves  out.  The  cliild  was  a most  impres- 
sive spectacle,  but  not  loveable.  I think  that  sitting  on 
seats  raised  above  the  floor,  and  a desire  for  domestic 
seclusion,  are  two  initial  steps  of  western  civilisation. 

The  house-master,  who  is  a most  polite  man,  procured 
me  an  invitation  to  the  marriage  of  his  niece,  and  1 
have  just  returned  from  it.  He  has  three  “ wives  ” 
himself.  One  keeps  a yadoya  in  KiySto,  another  in 
Morioka,  and  the  third  and  youngest  is  with  liim  here. 
From  her  limitless  stores  of  apparel  she  chose  what  she 
considered  a suitable  dress  for  me  — an  under-dress  of 
sage  green  silk  crepe  a kimono  of  soft,  green,  striped 


326 


UNBEATEN  TRACKS  IN  JAPAN. 


silk  of  a darker  shade,  with  a fold  of  white  crep^ 
spangled  with  gold  at  the  neck,  and  a girdle  of  sage 
green  corded  silk,  with  the  family  badge  here  and  there 
upon  it  in  gold.  I went  with  the  house-master,  Ito,  to 
his  disgust,  not  being  invited,  and  his  absence  was  like 
the  loss  of  one  of  my  senses,  as  I could  not  get  any  ex- 
planations till  afterwards. 

The  ceremony  did  not  correspond  with  the  rules  laid 
down  for  marriages  in  the  books  of  etiquette  that  I 
have  seen,  but  this  is  accounted  for  by  the  fact  that 
they  were  for  persons  of  the  samurai  class,  while  this 
bride  and  bridegroom,  though  the  children  of  well-to-do 
merchants,  belong  to  the  Tieimin. 

Marriages  are  arranged  by  the  friends  of  both  parties, 
and  much  worldly  wisdom  is  constantly  shown  in  the 
transaction.  Still,  youthful  affections  do  not  always 
run  in  the  prescribed  channels,  and  an  attractive  girl, 
in  spite  of  her  seclusion  in  her  father’s  house,  is  sure  to 
have  several  lovers ; and  the  frequent  suicides  of  lovers 
prove  that  in  Japan,  as  elsewhere,  the  course  of  true 
love  is  not  always  smooth.  Ito  says  that  a lover  who 
has  formed  a very  decided  preference  fixes  a sprig  of 
the  Celastrus  alatus  to  the  house  of  the  lady’s  parents, 
and  tliat  if  it  be  neglected,  so  is  he,  but  if  the  maiden 
blackens  her  teeth  he  is  accepted,  subject  to  the  appro- 
val of  the  parents.  The  house-master  sa5's  that  this  is 
sometimes  resorted  to  in  the  Kubota  neighbourhood, 
but  that  marriages  are  usually  made  after  the  prescribed 
fashion. 

Marriages  are  usually  arranged  when  the  bridegroom 
has  passed  his  twentieth  and  the  bride  her  sixteenth 
year.  Marriage  is  the  manifest  destinj"  of  Japanese  fe- 
male children,  who  are  trained  to  its  duties  from  their 
earliest  infancy.  Tbe  bride  does  not  receive  a dowry, 
but  is  provided  with  a trousseau  according  to  her  condi 


A JAPANESE  TROUSSEAU. 


327 


tion.  Money  considerations  do  not  appear  to  weigli 
much  in  the  arrangements,  but  it  is  essential  for  the 
lady  to  be  discreet,  amiable,  and  accomplished,  and  to 
be  a mistress  of  etiquette  and  domestic  management. 
If  a father  having  no  son  gives  his  eldest  daughter  in 
marriage,  her  husband  becomes  his  adopted  son,  and 
takes  his  name.  Betrothal  precedes  marriage,  and  mar- 
riage presents  are  often  so  lavishly  given  as  to  cripple 
for  a time  the  resources  of  the  givers.  In  addition  to 
the  trousseau  the  bride’s  parents  bestow  upon  her  a 
spinning-wheel  and  kitchen  utensils,  besides  other  fur- 
niture, which  is  not  abundant,  as  the  tatami  answer  the 
purpose  of  beds,  sofas,  tables,  and  chairs.^ 

In  tills  case  the  trousseau  and  furniture  were  con- 
veyed to  the  bridegroom’s  house  in  the  early  morning, 
and  I was  allowed  to  go  to  see  them.  There  were  sev- 
eral girdles  of  silk  embroidered  with  gold,  several 
pieces  of  brocaded  silk  for  kimonos.,  several  pieces  of 
silk  crepe,  a large  number  of  made-up  garments,  a piece 
of  white  silk,  six  barrels  of  wine  or  sake,  and  seven  sorts 
of  condiments.  Jewellery  is  not  worn  by  women  in 
Japan. 

The  furniture  consisted  of  two  wooden  pillows,  finely 
lacquered,  one  of  them  containing  a drawer  for  orna- 
mental hair-pins,  some  coiton  futons,  two  very  handsome 
silk  ones,  a few  silk  cushions,  a lacquer  workbox,  a 

1 Among  the  strong  reasons  for  deprecating  the  adoption  of  foreign 
houses,  furniture,  and  modes  of  living  by  the  Japanese,  is  that  the  ex- 
pense of  living  would  be  so  largely  increased  as  to  render  early  mar- 
riages impossible.  At  present  the  requirements  of  a young  couple  in 
the  poorer  classes  are,  a bare  matted  room,  capable  or  not  of  division, 
two  wooden  pillows,  a few  cotton  futons,  and  a sliding  panel,  behind 
which  to  conceal  them  in  the  day-time,  a wooden  rice  bucket  and  ladle, 
a wooden  wash-bowl,  an  iron  kettle,  a hibaclii,  a tray  or  two,  a teapot 
or  two,  two  lacquer  rice  bowls,  a benid-bako  or  dinner  box,  a few  china 
cups,  a tew  towels,  a bamboo  switch  for  sweeping,  a tabako-bon,  an  iron 
pot,  and  a few  shelves  let  into  a recess,  all  of  which  can  be  purchased 
tor  something  under  £2. 


328 


UNBEATEN  TRACES  IN  JAPAN. 


spirming-wheel,  a lacquer  rice  bucket  and  ladle,  two 
ornamental  ii’on  kettles,  various  kitchen  utensils,  three 
bronze  hibaclii.,  two  tabako-bons.,  some  lacquer  trays,  and 
2e«.s,  china  kettles,  teapots,  and  cups,  some  lacquer  rice 
bowls,  two  copper  basins,  a few  towels,  some  bamboo 
switches,  and  an  inlaid  lacquer  etagere.  As  the  things 
are  all  very  handsome  the  parents  must  be  w^ell  off. 
The  Saks  is  sent  in  accordance  with  rigid  etiquette. 

It  has  often  been  written  that  marriage  must  be 
solemnised  by  a priest,  but  this  is  a mistake.  Japanese 
marriage  is  a purely  civil  contract.  No  religious  cere- 
mony is  necessary.  A marriage  is  legalised  by  its  regis- 
tration in  the  office  of  the  Kocho.  These  people  were 
Buddhists,  but  there  was  not  even  a priest  present  on 
the  occasion. 

The  bridegroom  is  twenty-two,  the  bride  seventeen, 
and  very  comely,  so  far  as  I could  see  through  the  paint 
with  which  she  was  profusely  disfigured.  Towards 
evening  she  was  carried  in  a norimon,  accompanied  by 
her  parents  and  friends  to  the  bridegroom’s  house,  each 
member  of  the  procession  carrying  a Chinese  lantern. 
When  the  house-master  and  I arrived  the  wedding  party 
was  assembled  in  a large  room,  the  parents  and  friends 
of  the  bridegroom  being  seated  on  one  side,  and  those 
of  the  bride  on  the  other.  Two  young  girls,  very 
beautifully  dressed,  brought  in  the  bride,  a very  pleas- 
ing-looking creature,  dressed  entii’ely  in  white  silk, 
with  a veil  of  white  silk  covering  her  from  head  to 
foot. 

The  bridegroom  who  was  already  seated  in  the  middle 
of  the  room  near  its  upper  part,  did  not  rise  tr  receive 
her,  and  kept  his  eyes  fixed  on  the  ground,  and  she  sal 
opposite  to  him,  but  never  looked  up.  A low  table  was 
placed  in  front,  on  which  there  was  a two-spouted  kettle 
full  of  sake.,  some  sakS  bottles,  and  some  cups,  and  on 


A MARRIAGE  CEREMONY. 


329 


another  there  were  some  small  figures  representing  a fii 
tree,  a plum  tree  in  blossom,  and  a stork  standing  on  a 
tortoise,  the  last  representing  length  of  days,  and  the 
former,  the  beauty  of  women  and  the  strength  of  men. 
Shortly  a zen,  loaded  with  eatables  was  placed  before 
each  person,  and  the  feast  began,  accompanied  by  the 
noises  which  signify  gastronomic  gratification. 

After  this,  which  was  only  a preliminary,  the  two 
girls  who  brought  in  the  bride  handed  round  a tray 
with  three  cups  containing  which  each  person  was 
expected  to  drain  till  he  came  to  the  god  of  luck  at  the 
bottom. 

The  bride  and  bridegroom  then  retired,  but  shortly 
re-appeared  in  other  dresses  of  ceremony,  but  the  bride 
still  wore  her  white  silk  veil,  which  one  day  will  be  her 
shroud.  An  old  gold  lacquer  tray  was  produced,  with 
three  sake  cups,  which  were  filled  by  the  two  brides- 
maids, and  placed  before  the  parents-in-law  and  the 
bride.  The  father-in-law  drank  three  cups,  and  handed 
the  cup  to  the  bride,  who,  after  drinking  two  cups,  re- 
ceived from  her  father-in-law  a present  in  a box,  drank 
the  third  cup,  and  then  returned  the  cup  to  the  father- 
in-law,  who  again  drank  three  cups.  Rice  and  fish  were 
next  brought  in,  after  which  the  bridegroom’s  mother 
took  the  second  cup,  and  filled  and  emptied  it  three 
times,  after  which  she  passed  it  to  the  bride,  who  drank 
two  cups,  received  a present  from  her  mother-in-law  in 
a lacquer  box,  drank  a third  cup,  and  gave  the  cup  to 
the  elder  lady,  who  again  drank  three  cups.  Soup 
was  then  served,  and  then  the  bride  drank  once  from 
the  third  cup,  and  handed  it  to  her  husband’s  father, 
who  drank  three  more  cups,  the  bride  took  it  again,  and 
drank  two,  and  lastly  the  mother-in-law  draiik  three 
more  cups.  Now,  if  you  possess  the  clear-sightedness 
which  I laboured  to  preserve,  you  will  perceive  that  each 


330 


UNBEATEN  TRACKS  IN  JAPAN. 


of  the  tlxree  had  inbibed  nine  cups  of  some  genei’ous 
liquor ! ^ 

After  this  the  two  bridesmaids  raised  the  two-spouted 
kettle,  and  presented  it  to  tlie  lips  of  the  married  pair, 
who  drank  from  it  alternately,  till  they  had  exliausted 
its  contents.  This  concludhig  ceremony  is  said  to  be 
emblematic  of  the  tasting  together  of  the  joys  and  sor- 
rows of  life.  And  so  they  became  man  and  wife  till 
death  or  divorce  parted  them. 

This  drinking  of  sake  or  wine,  according  to  prescribed 
usage,  appeared  to  constitute  the  “ marriage  service,’’  to 
which  none  but  relations  were  bidden.  Immediately 
afterwards  the  wedding  guests  arrived,  and  the  evenmg 
was  spent  in  feasting  and  sake  drinking,  but  the  fare  is 
simple,  and  intoxication  is  happily  out  of  place  at  a 
marriage  feast.  Every  detail  is  a matter  of  etiquette, 
and  has  been  handed  down  for  centuries.  Except  for 
the  interest  of  the  ceremony  in  that  light  it  was  a very 
dull  and  tedious  affair,  conducted  in  melancholy  silence, 
and  the  young  bride,  with  her  wliitened  face  and  painted 
lips,  looked  and  moved  like  an  automaton. 

From  all  that  I can  learn  I think  that  Japanese  wives 
are  virtuous  and  faithful  under  circumstances  which  we 
should  think  most  trying,  as  even  apparent  fidelity  on 
the  part  of  the  husband  is  not  regarded  either  as  a 
virtue  or  a conventional  requirement.  On  this  point  I 
think  there  can  be  no  reasonable  doubt. 

It  is  obvious  that  the  parental  relation  is  regarded  as 
far  higher  than  the  matrimonial,  and  that  the  tendency 
is  to  sink  the  wife  in  the  mother.  If  the  father  is  the 
servant  of  the  child,  the  mother  is  his  slave,  and  her  lot 
is  apt  to  be  very  hard,  as  her  first  duty  is  to  bimg  chil- 


1 T failed  to  learn  what  the  liquor  was  which  was  drunk  so  freely, 
but  a.s  no  unseemly  effects  followed  its  use,  I think  it  must  either  har« 
ooen  light  Osaka  wine,  or  light  sake. 


A MARRIAGE  CEREMONY. 


331 


dren  into  the  world,  and  then  to  nurse  and  wait  upon 
them,  while  marriage  places  her  in  the  position  of  a slave 
to  her  mother-in-law.  The  following  translation  of  the 
Japanese  “ Code  of  Morals  for  Women  ” is  deeply  inter- 
esting, and  throws  more  light  upon  some  social  customs, 
and  upon  the  estimation  in  which  women  are  held,  than 
many  pages  of  description.  1.  L.  B. 


832 


UNBEATEN  TBACKS  IN  JAPAN. 


JAPANESE  CODE  OF  MORALS  FOR  WOMEN. i 

“ Is^  Lesson.  Every  girl,  when  of  age,  must  marry  a man  of  a 
different  family,  therefore  her  parents  must  be  more  careful  of  hei 
education  than  that  of  a son,  as  she  must  be  subject  to  her  father 
and  mother-in-law,  and  serve  them.  If  she  has  been  spoiled,  she 
will  quarrel  with  her  husband’s  relatives. 

1(1.  It  is  better  for  women  to  have  a good  mind  than  a beauti- 
ful appearance.  Women  who  have  a bad  mind,  their  passions  are 
turbulent,  their  eyes  seem  dreadful,  their  voices  loud  and  chatter- 
ing, and  when  angry,  will  tell  their  family  secrets,  and  besides, 
laugh  at  and  mock  other  people,  and  envy  and  be  spiteful  towards 
them.  These  things  are  all  improper  for  women  to  do,  as  they 
ought  to  be  chaste,  amiable,  and  gentle. 

3f/.  Parents  must  teach  their  daughters  to  keep  separate  from 
the  other  sex.  They  must  not  see  or  hear  any  iniquitous  thing. 
The  old  custom  is,  man  and  woman  shall  not  sit  on  the  same  mat, 
nor  put  their  clothing  in  the  same  place,  shall  have  different  bath- 
rooms, shall  not  give  or  take  anything  directly  from  hand  to  hand. 
During  the  evening,  when  women  walk  out,  they  shall  carry  a 
lantern,  and  on  walking  out,  even  families,  men  must  keep  sepa- 
rate from  their  female  relatives.  People  who  neglect  these  rules 
are  not  polite,  and  bring  a reproach  on  their  families.  No  girl 
shall  marry  without  the  permission  of  her  parents,  and  the  man- 
agement of  a medium,  and  though  she  meets  with  such  a sad  fate 
as  to  be  killed,  she  must  keep  as  solid  a mind  as  metal  and  stone, 
and  do  no  unchaste  thing. 

4</(.  The  house  of  the  husband  is  that  of  the  wife,  and  though 
her  husband  be  poor  she  must  not  leave  his  house ; if  she  does, 
and  is  divorced,  it  will  be  a disgrace  to  her  all  her  life. 

The  reasons  why  a man  may  divorce  his  wife  are  seven.  When 
she  is  disobedient  to  her  father  and  mother-in-law ; when  she  is 
unfaithful ; when  she  is  jealous;  when  she  has  leprosy  ; when  she 
is  childless  ; when  she  steals  ; when  she  has  a chattering  tongue. 

' This  translation  is  from  a curious  little  book  on  the  history  and 
customs  of  Japan,  by  Mr.  N.  Macleod. 


COBE  OF  MORALS  FOR  WOMEN. 


To  the  last  reason  the  explanatory  clause  is  added,  “ For  the 
gabbling  of  a woman  often  destroys  the  peace  of  families.”  In 
mercy  to  the  childless  wife,  the  clause  is  added,  “ If  she  is  amiable 
and  gentle  she  shall  not  be  divorced,  but  her  husband  shall  adopt 
a child,  or  if  his  concubine  have  a child  when  his  wife  hath  none, 
he  shall  not  divorce  her.”  At  the  end  of  all  of  the  reasons  for 
divorce,  it  is  added,  “ When  a woman  is  once  driven  out  of  her 
husband’s  house,  it  is  a great  reproach  to  her.” 

5lk.  When  a girl  is  unmarried,  she  shall  reverence  her  parents, 
but  after  marriage  her  father  and  mother-in-law  more  than  her 
own  parents.  Morning  and  evening  she  shall  inquire  after  the 
health  of  her  father  and  mother-in-law,  and  ask  if  she  can  be  of 
auy  service  to  them,  and  likewise  do  all  they  bid  her ; and  if  they 
scold  her,  she  must  not  speak,  and  if  she  shows  an  amiable  dis- 
position, finally  they  come  to  a peaceful  settlement  of  their  diffi- 
culties. 

6th.  The  wife  has  no  lord  or  master  but  her  husband,  therefore 
she  must  do  his  bidding  and  not  repine.  The  rule  which  women 
must  observe  is  obedience.  AVhen  the  wife  converses  with  her 
husband  she  must  do  so  with  a smiling  face  and  humble  word,  and 
uot  be  rude.  This  is  the  principal  duty  of  women ; the  wife  must 
obey  the  husband  in  all  that  he  orders  her  to  do,  and  when  he  is 
angry  she  must  not  resist,  but  obey.  All  women  shall  think  their 
husbands  to  be  heaven,  so  they  must  not  resist  their  husbands  and 
incur  the  punishment  of  heaven. 

1th.  All  her  husband’s  relatives  are  hers.  She  must  not 
quarrel  with  them,  or  the  family  will  be  unhappy : she  must  be 
on  good  terms  with  the  wife  of  her  husband’s  eldest  brother  [he 
being  considered  the  head  of  the  family]. 

6th.  The  wife  must  not  be  jealous  of  her  husband  if  he  is 
unfaithful  to  her,  but  must  admonish  him  in  a gentle,  kind  man- 
ner. Of  course,  when  she  is  jealous,  her  anger  will  appear  in  her 
face,  and  she  will  be  disliked  and  abandoned  by  her  husband; 
when  she  admonishes  her  husband  she  must  always  do  it  with  a 
kind  face  and  gentle  words,  and  when  he  won’t  listen  to  her,  she 
must  wait  till  his  passion  is  cooled  and  then  speak  to  him  again. 

6th.  Women  must  not  chatter,  or  revile  any  one,  or  tell  a lie. 
When  she  hears  any  slander  she  must  not  repeat  it,  and  so  cause 
disputes  among  families. 

10^/i.  Women  shall  always  keep  to  their  duty,  rise  eaily  and 


334 


UNBEATEN  TRACKS  IN  JAPAN. 


work  till  late  at  night.  She  must  not  sleep  during  the  day,  must 
study  economy,  and  must  not  neglect  her  weaving,  sewing,  and 
spinning,  and  must  not  drink  too  much  tea  or  wine.  She  shall  not 
hear  or  see  any  such  lascivious  thing  as  a theatre  or  drama ; before 
reaching  the  age  of  forty,  women  shall  not  go  to  those  places,  oi 
to  where  many  people  collect,  such  as  a temple  or  a shrine. 

1 1th.  A wife  must  not  waste  her  money  in  expensive  clothing, 
but  must  dress  according  to  her  income. 

12/^.  When  a wife  is  young,  she  shall  not  speak  on  familiar 
terms  with  any  young  man,  a relative  of  her  husband’s,  nor  yet 
with  his  servant,  as  the  separation  between  the  sexes  must  be 
observed.  Though  there  is  important  business,  she  shall  not  write 
a letter  to  any  young  man. 

13i/i.  The  ornaments  and  clothing  must  not  be  splendid,  but 
neat  and  .clean,  so  that  she  does  not  cause  people  to  remark  ; but 
she  will  wear  clothing  according  to  her  rank. 

Hill.  During  such  festivals  as  the  first  day  or  the  third  day  of 
the  third  month  and  the  fifth  day  of  the  fifth  month,  she  must 
first  visit  her  husband’s  relatives  in  preference  to  her  own,  and, 
except  her  husband  allow  her,  she  shall  not  go  out  or  give  gifts  to 
any  one. 

Ibth.  AVomen  do  not  succeed  their  parents,  but  their  father  and 
mother-in-law,  therefore  she  must  be  kinder  to  them  than  to  her 
own  parents.  AVheu  a woman  is  married  she  shall  seldom  pay  a 
visit  to  her  own  parents,  only  a messenger  shall  be  sent ; likewdse 
to  other  relatives  and  friends.  She  shall  not  pride  herself  on  her 
own  descent. 

16//i.  Though  a woman  have  many  servants,  it  is  the  rule  of 
women  that  she  do  all  her  business  herself.  She  shall  sew  the 
clothing  and  cook  the  food  of  her  father  and  mother-in-law ; she 
shall  wash  the  clothing  and  sweep  the  mat  of  her  husband,  and 
when  she  nurses  her  child,  she  shall  w'ash  the  linen  herself. 
AVomen  alw'ays  shall  live  within  the  house,  and  also  not  go  out 
without  any  business. 

11th.  When  a woman  has  a female  servant,  she  shall  look  after 
her,  as  her  mind  is  ignorant,  untutored,  and  verbose,  and  when  she 
takes  a spite  at  the  relatives  of  her  mistress’s  husband,  she  will 
slander  them ; and  if  her  mistress  is  not  wdse,  she  will  believe  her, 
and  will  take  an  ill-will  to  her  husband’s  family.  As  her  hus- 
band’s friends  were  previously  strangers  to  her,  such  disputes  can 


CODE  OF  MORALS  FOE  WOMEN. 


385 


easily  happen  ; therefore  she  must  not  believe  her  servant’s  woids, 
and  disturb  the  family  peace  of  her  husband’s  relatives ; and 
such  a servant  she  will  dismiss,  as  such  low  persons  must  do  such 
low  things.  A mistress  must  check  her  servant  when  she  makes 
a mistake,  and  pity  her  stupidity,  and  warn  her  to  be  more  careful 
in  future. 

18/A.  There  are  five  bad  qualities  in  women,  that  they  slander 
or  take  a spite  at  some  one,  are  jealous  and  ignorant;  seven  or 
eight  v.'omen  in  ten  have  these  maladies.  This  is  a .sign  that 
women  are  comparatively  inferior  to  men;  they  therefore  must 
remedy  them.  The  worst  of  these  is  ignorance,  and  it  is  the 
source  of  the  remainder.  The  minds  of  women  generally  are  as 
dark  as  the  night,  and  are  more  stupid  than  men ; they  do  not 
notice  what  is  before  them,  and  they  slander  innocent  persons; 
they  envy  the  happiness  of  others,  and  pet  their  children,  all  to 
tlie  discredit  of  their  husbands.  Women  are  stupid,  therefore  they 
must  be  humble  and  obedient  to  their  husbands.  In  all  stations 
of  life  the  wife  must  stand  behind  her  husband  ; though  she  may 
have  done  good  deeds,  she  must  not  be  vain  of  them. 

Though  it  be  said  she  is  bad,  she  shall  not  resist ; she  will  con- 
tinue to  improve  herself,  and  be  careful  not  to  repeat  the  same 
fault,  and  when  she  comports  herself  wisely,  the  intimacy  between 
herself  and  her  husband  through  life  will  be  a happy  one. 

The  foregoing  lessons  all  girls  shall  be  taught  from  their 
infancy,  and  they  shall  study  them  by  reading  and  writing,  so  that 
they  don’t  forget  them 


336 


UNBEATEN  TRACKS  IN  JAPAN. 


A HOLIDAY. 

A.  Holiday  Scene — A Matsuri  — Attractions  of  the  Kevel  — Matsuri 
Cars  — Gods  and  Demons — Tableaux  vivants  — A possible  Har- 
bour— A Village  Forge  — Prosperity  of  Saki  Brewers  — The  In- 
troduction of  Sake  into  Japan  — Sake  and  Eevenue  — A “great 
Sight.” 

Tsugubata,  July  27. 

Three  miles  of  good  road  thronged  with  half  the 
people  of  Kubota  on  foot  and  in  kurumas,  red  vans 
drawn  by  horses,  pairs  of  policemen  in  kuruvias,  hun- 
dreds of  children  being  carried,  hundreds  more  on  foot, 
little  girls,  formal  and  precocious-looking,  with  hair 
dressed  with  scarlet  crepe  and  flowers,  hobbling  toil- 
somely along  on  high  clogs,  groups  of  men  and  women, 
never  intermixing,  stalls  driving  a “ roaring  trade  ” in 
cakes  and  sweetmeats,  women  making  viocJii  as  fast  as 
the  buyers  ate  it,  broad  rice-fields  rolling  like  a green 
sea  on  the  right,  an  ocean  of  liquid  turquoise  on  the  left, 
the  grey  roofs  of  Kubota  looking  out  froiu  their  green 
surroundings,  Taiheisan  in  deepest  indigo  blocking  the 
view  to  the  south,  a glorious  day,  and  a summer  sun 
streaming  over  all,  made  up  the  cheeriest  and  most  fes- 
tal scene  that  I have  seen  in  Japan,  men,  women,  and 
children,  vans  and  kurumas,  policemen  and  horsemen, 
all  on  their  way  to  a mean-looking  town,  Minato, 
the  junk  port  of  Kubota,  which  was  keeping  matsuri, 
or  festival,  in  honour  of  the  birthday  of  the  god  Shim- 
mai.  Towering  above  the  low  grey  houses  there  were 
objects  which  at  first  looked  like  five  enormous  ])lack 


HOLIDAY  SCENE. 


337 


fingers,  then  like  trees  with  their  branches  wrapped  in 
black,  and  then  — comparisons  ceased ; they  were  a mys- 
tery. 

Dismissing  the  kurumas,  which  could  go  no  farther, 
we  dived  into  the  crowd,  which  was  wedged  along  a 
mean  street,  nearly  a mile  long  — a miserable  street  of 
poor  tea-houses,  and  poor  shop-fronts ; but  in  fact  3'ou 
could  hardly  see  the  street  for  the  people.  Paper  lan- 
terns were  hung  close  together  along  its  whole  length. 
There  were  rude  scaffoldings  supporting  matted  and 
covered  platforms,  on  which  people  were  drinking  tea 
and  Saks,  and  enjoying  the  crowd  below ; monkey 
theatres  and  dog  theatres,  two  mangy  sheep  and  a lean 
pig  attracting  wondering  crowds,  for  neither  of  these 
animals  is  known  in  this  region  of  Japan;  a booth  in 
which  a woman  was  having  her  head  cut  off  every  half- 
hour  for  2 sen  a spectator ; cars  with  roofs  like  temples, 
on  which,  with  forty  men  at  the  ropes,  dancing  childi-en 
of  the  highest  class  were  being  borne  in  procession ; a 
theatre  with  an  open  front,  on  the  boards  of  which  two 
men  in  antique  dresses,  with  sleeves  touching  the  ground, 
were  performing  with  tedious  slowness  a classic  dance 
of  tedious  posturings,  which  consisted  mainly  in  dexter- 
ous movements  of  the  aforesaid  sleeves,  and  occasional 
emphatic  stampings,  and  utterances  of  the  word  No  in 
a hoarse  howl.  It  is  needless  to  say  that  a foreign  lady 
was  not  the  least  of  the  attractions  of  the  fair.  The 
cultus  of  children  was  in  full  force,  all  sorts  of  masks, 
dolls,  sugar  figures,  toys,  and  sweetmeats  were  exposed 
for  sale  on  mats  on  the  ground,  and  found  then’  way 
into  the  hands  and  sleeves  of  the  children,  for  no  Jap- 
anese parent  would  ever  attend  a matsuri  without  mak- 
ing an  offering  to  his  child. 

The  police  told  me  that  there  were  22,000  strangers  in 
Minato,  yet  for  32,000  holiday-makers  a force  of  twenty- 


338 


UNBEATEN  TRACKS  IN  JAPAN 


five  policemen  was  sufficient.  I did  not  see  one  person 
under  the  influence  of  sake  up  to  3 P.  M.,  when  I left, 
nor  a solitary  instance  of  rude  or  improper  behaviour, 
nor  was  I in  any  way  rudely  crowded  upon,  for  even 
where  the  crowd  was  densest,  the  people  of  their  own 
accord  formed  a ring  and  left  me  breathing  space. 

We  went  to  the  place  where  the  throng  was  greatest, 
round  the  two  great  matsuri  cars,  whose  colossal  erec- 
tions we  had  seen  far  off.  These  were  structures  of 
heavy  beams,  thirty  feet  long,  with  eight  huge,  solid 
wheels.  Upon  them  there  were  several  scaffolding.^"' 
with  projections,  like  flat  surfaces  of  cedar  branches, 
and  two  special  peaks  of  unequal  height  at  the  top,  the 
whole  being  nearly  fifty  feet  from  the  ground.  All 
these  projections  were  covered  with  black  cotton  cloth, 
from  which  branches  of  pines  protruded.  In  the  mid- 
dle three  small  wheels,  one  above  another,  over  which 
striped  wliite  cotton  was  rolling  perpetually,  represented 
a waterfall ; at  the  bottom  another  arrangement  of  white 
cotton  represented  a river,  and  an  arrangement  of  blue 
cotton,  fitfully  agitated  by  a pair  of  bellows  below, 
represented  the  sea.  The  whole  is  intended  to  repre- 
sent a mountain  on  wliich  the  Shinto  gods  slew  some 
devils,  but  anything  more  rude  and  barbarous  could 
scarcely  be  seen.  On  the  fronts  of  each  car,  under  a 
canopy,  were  thirty  performers  on  thirty  diabolical  in- 
struments, which  rent  the  air  with  a truly  infernal  dis- 
cord, and  suggested  devils  rather  than  their  conquerors. 
High  up  on  the  flat  projections  there  were  groups  of 
monstrous  figures.  On  one  a giant  in  brass  armour, 
much  like  the  JVio  of  temple  gates,  was  killuig  a revolt- 
ing-looking demon.  On  another  a daimiyo's  daughter, 
in  robes  of  cloth  of  gold  wdth  satin  sleeves  richly  flow- 
ered, was  playing  on  the  samiseii.  On  another  a hunter, 
twice  the  size  of  life,  was  killing  a wild  horse  equallv 


TABLEAUX  VIVANTS. 


339 


magnified,  whose  hide  was  represented  by  the  hairy 
wrappings  of  the  leaves  of  the  Chamoerops  excelsa.  On 
others,  highly  coloured  gods,  and  devils  equally  hideous, 
were  grouped  miscellaneously.  These  two  cars  were 
being  drawn  up  and  down  the  street  at  the  rate  of  a 
mile  in  three  hours  by  200  men  each,  numbers  of  men 
with  levers  assisting  the  heavy  wheels  out  of  the  mud- 
holes. 

Two  beautiful  Icago,  highly  gilded  and  decorated  with 
lilies,  each  borne  by  four  men,  and  each  containing  a 
cliild  with  whitened  face,  elaborately  dressed  false  hair, 
and  superb  robes  of  flowered  satin,  reclining  with  a 
stately  air  on  cushions  of  cloth  of  gold,  were  carried 
in  procession.  These  are  the  children  of  a rich  man  of 
the  place,  who,  at  great  expense,  have  been  taught  some 
of  the  antique  dances  to  perform  in  public  at  this  mat- 
suri.  The  attraction  par  excellence  was  this  perform- 
ance. Later  on  they  re-entered  their  grand  car,  with 
a temple  roof  and  hangings  of  cloth  of  gold,  and  pro- 
ceeded slowly  down  the  street,  the  objects  of  the  con 
centrated  admiration  of  many  thousand  people,  stopping 
at  intervals  to  give  their  performance  on  the  front  of  the 
car,  which  was  a richly  decorated  stage,  the  back  part 
being  a costume-room,  as  well  as  a waiting-room  for  a 
large  retinue  of  relatives  and  servants.  These  children 
performed  painfully  well.  It  was  distressing  to  see 
creatures  of  eight  and  nine  with  such  perfect  dignity  and 
self-possession.  The  girl  managed  her  splendid  trained 
dress  and  fan  as  well  as  the  actors  in  the  Shintomi 
Theatre  at  Yedo,  danced  a classical  dance,  witli  its  sin- 
gular posturings  and  jerky  utterances,  to  perfection,  and 
in  the  closing  act,  when  she  and  her  brother  performed 
together,  there  was  much  spirit  and  vigour  without  the 
slightest  exaggeration. 

I went  to  see  the  woman’s  head  cut  off,  and  stood 


340 


UNBEATEN  TRACES  IN  JAPAN. 


with  my  feet  in  the  mud  for  half  an  hour ; but  the  trick 
was  transparent,  and  the  juggling  very  poor.  I also  saw 
a posturing  and  dancing  dog,  which  so  evidently  went 
through  his  performance  under  the  influence  of  terror 
that  I tried  to  buy  him,  but  his  owner  and  tyrant  would 
not  take  less  than  50  yen  for  him.  This  matsuri.,  which, 
like  an  English  fair,  feast  or  revel,  has  lost  its  original 
religious  signiflcance,  goes  on  for  three  days  and  nights, 
and  this  was  its  third  and  greatest  day. 

We  left  on  mild-tempered  horses,  quite  unlike  the 
fierce  fellows  of  Yamagata  ken.  Between  Minato  and 
Kado  there  is  a very  curious  lagoon  on  the  left,  about 
17  miles  long  by  16  broad,  connected  with  the  sea  by  a 
narrow  channel,  guarded  by  two  high  hills  called  SMn- 
zan  and  Honzan.  Two  Dutch  engineers  are  now  en- 
gaged in  reporting  on  its  capacities,  and  if  its  outlet 
could  be  deepened  without  enormous  cost,  it  would  give 
north-western  Japan  the  harbour  it  so  greatly  needs. 
Extensive  rice-fields  and  many  villages  lie  along  the 
road,  which  is  an  avenue  of  deep  sand  and  ancient 
pines  much  contorted  and  gnarled.  Down  the  pine 
avenue  hundreds  of  people  on  horseback  and  on  foot 
were  trooping  into  Minato  from  all  the  farming  ■s'illages, 
glad  in  the  glorious  sunshine  which  succeeded  four  days 
of  rain.  There  were  hundreds  of  horses,  wonderful- 
looking  animals  in  bravery  of  scarlet  cloth  and  lacquer 
and  fringed  nets  of  leather,  and  many  straw  wisps  and 
ropes,  with  Gothic  roofs  for  saddles,  and  dependent 
panniers  on  each  side,  carrying  two  grave  and  stately- 
looldng  children  in  each,  and  sometimes  a father  or  a 
fifth  child  on  the  top  of  the  pack-saddle. 

I was  so  far  from  well  that  I was  obliged  to  sleep  at 
the  wretched  village  of  Abukawa,  in  a loft  alive  with 
fleas,  where  the  rice  was  too  dirty  to  be  eaten,  and 
where  the  house-master’s  wife,  who  sat  for  an  hour  on 


A VILLAGE  FOBGE. 


341 


my  floor,  was  sorely  afflicted  with  skin  disease.  The 
clay  houses  have  disappeared  and  the  villages  are  now 
built  of  wood,  but  Abukawa  is  an  antiquated,  ram- 
shackle place,  propped  up  with  posts  and  slanting 
beams  projecting  into  the  roadway  for  the  entanglement 
of  unwaiy  passengers. 

The  village  smith  was  opposite,  but  he  was  not  a man 
of  ponderous  strength,  nor  were  there  those  wondrous 
flights  and  scintillations  of  sparks  which  were  the  joy 
of  our  childhood  in  the  Tattenhall  forge.  A fire  of 
powdered  charcoal  on  the  fioor,  always  being  trimmed 
and  replenished  by  a lean  and  grimy  satellite,  a man 
stni  leaner  and  grimier,  clothed  in  goggles  and  a girdle, 
always  sitting  in  front  of  it,  heating  and  hammering 
iron  bars  with  his  hands,  with  a clink  which  went  on 
late  into  the  night,  and  blowing  his  bellows  with  his 
toes  ; bars  and  pieces  of  rusty  iron  pinned  on  the  smoky 
walls,  and  a group  of  idle  men  watching  his  skilful 
manipulation,  were  the  sights  of  the  Abukawa  smithy, 
and  kept  me  thralled  in  the  balcony,  though  the  whole 
clothesless  population  stood  for  the  whole  evening  in 
front  of  the  house  with  a silent,  open-mouthed  stare. 

Early  in  the  morning  the  same  melancholy  crowd 
appeared  in  the  dismal  drizzle,  which  turned  into  a 
tremendous  torrent,  which  has  lasted  for  sixteen  hours. 
Low  hills,  broad  rice  valleys  in  which  people  are  pud- 
dling the  rice  a second  time  to  kill  the  weeds,  bad 
roads,  pretty  villages,  much  indigo,  few  passengers, 
were  the  features  of  the  day’s  journey.  At  Morioka 
and  several  other  villages  in  this  region,  I noticed  that 
if  you  see  one  large,  high,  well-built  house,  standing  in 
enclosed  grounds,  with  a look  of  wealth  about  it,  it  is 
always  that  of  the  sake  brewer.  A bush  denotes  the 
manufacture  as  well  as  the  sale  of  salce^  and  these  are 
of  all  sorts,  from  the  mangy  bit  of  fir  which  has  seen 


342 


UNBEATEN  TRACKS  IN  JAPAN. 


long  service  to  the  vigorous  truss  of  pine  constantlj 
renewed.  It  is  curious  that  this  should  formerly  have 
been  the  sign  of  the  sale  of  wine  in  England. 

I really  cannot  do  otherwise  than  digress  upon  sak^ 
here,  for  Japan  without  sake  would  be  more  unlike  it- 
self than  England  without  beer,  and  the  drinking  of  a 
prescribed  quantity  of  sake  on  special  occasions  is  a 
part  of  the  traditional  etiquette  of  the  Empire.  The 
sake  breweries  are  now  all  quiet,  as  the  season  for  mak- 
ing it  is  only  from  the  beginning  of  November  till  the 
end  of  February,  a low  temperature  being  requisite. 
Sake  is  said  to  have  been  made  here  for  2600  years,  and 
that  in  400  A.d.  two  sake  brewers  came  from  China  and 
introduced  the  improved  Chinese  process  ; but  it  appears 
to  have  been  made  in  small  quantities  only  and  in 
houses,  and  that  it  is  only  300  years  since  sake  brew- 
eries for  supplying  it  on  a large  scale  were  established 
in  Osaka,  where  the  best  is  still  made.^  Seven  per  cent 

^ The  process  is  a very  complicated  one,  and  I do  not  attempt  to  give 
its  details,  but  will  quote  a generalisation  of  them  in  a paper  by  Mr. 
Korscheldt  given  in  the  Transactions  of  the  German  Asiatic  Society  for 
1878.  “ In  sak^  brewing  we  have  learned  an  entirely  new  and  peculiar 
form  of  fermentation  industry,  which  differs  from  the  European  process 
in  every  respect,  and  which,  so  far  as  completeness  is  concerned,  is  not 
to  be  ranked  below  the  latter.  The  Japanese  process  is  as  follows:  — 

A fungus  is  made  to  grow  in  a dark  chamber  on  rice  which  has  been 
steamed.  This  fungus  alone  performs  the  same  work  as  is  done  in  our 
breweries  by  the  malt  and  yeast.  Yeast  is  first  produced  from  it.  For 
this  purpose  the  rice  which  is  covered  with  fungus  is  mashed  together 
with  a fresh  quantity  of  steamed  rice,  at  a temperature  of  almost  0° 
centigrade.  The  substance  which  has  been  formed  by  the  growth  of  the 
fungus  changes  the  starch  into  sugar.  When  the  change  into  sugar  has 
advanced,  sufficiently,  the  mash  is  warmed,  the  mycelium  of  the  fungus 
breaks  up  into  yeast  cells,  and  the  fermentation  commences.  When  the 
necessary  yeast  is  made,  the  chief  process  is  proceeded  with.  Steamed 
rice  is  again  mashed  with  rice  ou  which  the  fungus  has  grown,  and 
yeast  mash  is  added  simultaneously.  The  diastase  of  the  rice  with  the 
fungus  changes  the  starch  into  sugar,  which  is  hardly  produced  when  it 
Is  immediately  fermented  by  the  yeast.  Both  processes  go  on  with 
equal  activity  side  by  side.  When  the  formation  of  sugar  is  complete, 
the  fermentation  also  ceases  a few  days  after.  The  mash  is  pressed,  and 


SAKE  AND  BEVENUE. 


343 


of  the  entire  rice  crop  of  Japan  is  tui'ned  into  sake.  In 
1874  the  annual  production  of  it  was  6,745,798  hectoli- 
tres, and  its  consumption  20i  litres  per  head  of  the 
population,  and  the  production  is  annually  increasing 
The  tax  on  fermented  liquor,  which  brought  in  £322, 
G16  in  1875-76,  brought  in  £474,773  in  the  last  finan- 
eial  year.  For  revenue  purposes  five  distinct  kinds  of 
take  are  enumerated,  and  the  manufacturer  pays  £2  a 
year  for  the  license  to  make  each,  and  ten  per  cent  on 
the  total  amount  of  his  sales.  The  retailer’s  license  is 
£1  yearly.  It  is  not  wonderful  that  those  who  drive  so 
extensive  and  lucrative  a trade  should  have  the  finest 
houses  in  these  northern  villages. 

The  whole  process  of  sa^e-makhig  takes  forty  days, 
and  European  chemists  say  that  it  could  not  be  improved 
upon.  It  is  during  the  summer  months  that  sake  is 
subjected  to  what  is  known  as  Pasteur’s  process,  though 
it  has  been  practised  in  Japan  for  three  centuries  before 
Pasteur  was  born.  Sake  ought  to  have  five  distinct 
tastes  — sweetness,  sharpness,  sourness,  bitterness,  and 
astringency,  with  a flavour  of  fusel  ofl.  in  addition ! It 
contains  from  11  to  17  per  cent  of  alcohol.  I think  it 
faint,  sickly,  and  nauseous.^ 

the  sak€  subjected  to  an  after-fermentation,  whereby  the  last  particle 
capable  of  fermentation  disappears.  The  sak^  then  undergoes  Pasteur’s 
process,  so  that  it  may  keep.” 

1 Sake  is  mentioned  in  the  earliest  Japanese  historical  writings. 
Su3ano6-no  Mikoto,  brother  of  the  sun  goddess,  is  said  to  have  caused 
eight  jars  of  sak4  to  be  brewed  for  him  when  he  descended  from  heaven 
to  the  province  of  Idzumo;  while  in  another  tradition,  a goddess  is  rep- 
resented as  brewing  sweet  sak^  with  her  own  hands.  Coming  down  to 
times  perhaps  less  fabulous,  it  is  related  of  the  celebrated  Empress  Fin- 
go,  that,  after  her  return  from  the  conquest  of  Corea  (early  in  the  3d 
century),  she  despatched  her  son  (now  worshipped  as  the  god  of  war, 
under  the  name  of  Hachiman)  to  convey  her  respects  to  a distant  divinity, 
and  on  his  return,  greeted  him  with  sake.  Possibly  this  story  points  to 
the  same  Corean  origin  for  sake  as  belongs  to  most  of  the  other  arts  and 
manufactures  of  the  ancient  Japanese.  Undoubtedly,  the  use  of  sake 
dates  from  the  earliest  times,  as  it  is  perpetually  mentioned  in  the  mosi 
ancient  books,  both  as  a beverage  and  as  an  offering  to  the  gods. 


344 


UNBEATEN  TRACKS  IN  JAPAN. 


The  wind  and  rain  were  something  fearful  all  that 
afternoon.  I could  not  ride,  so  I tramped  on  foot  for 
some  miles  under  an  avenue  of  pines,  tkrough  water  a 
foot  deep,  and  with  my  paper  waterproof  soaked 
through,  reached  Toy6ka  half  drowned  and  very  cold, 
to  shiver  over  a hibachi  in  a clean  loft,  hung  with  my 
dripping  clothes,  which  had  to  be  put  on  wet  the  next 
day.  By  5 a.m.  all  Toyoka  assembled,  and  while  I took 
my  breakfast,  I was  not  only  the  “ cynosure  ’’  of  the 
eyes  of  all  the  people  outside,  but  of  those  of  about 
forty  more  who  were  standing  in  the  doina,  looking  up 
the  ladder.  When  asked  to  depart  by  the  house-master, 
they  said,  “ It’s  neither  fair  nor  neighbourly  in  you  to 
keep  this  great  sight  to  yourself,  seeing  that  our  lives 
may  pass  without  again  looking  on  a foreign  woman ; " 
BO  they  were  allowed  to  remain ! I.  L.  B. 


aSAVT  BAIN 8. 


34/i 


A NARROW  ESCAPE. 

I'he  Fatigues  of  Travelling  — Torrents  and  Mud  — Ito’s  Surliness  — 
The  Blind  Shainpooers  — Guilds  of  the  Blind  — A supposed  Mon- 
key Theatre — A Suspended  Ferry  — A Difficult  Transit  — Perils 
on  the  Tonetsurugawa  — A Boatman  Drowned  — Nocturnal  Dis 
turbances  — A noisy  Yadoya — Stoim-bound  Travellers  — Hai 
Hail  — More  Nocturnal  Disturbances. 

ODATf:,  July  29. 

I HAVE  been  suffering  so  much  from  my  spine,  that  I 
have  been  unable  to  travel  more  than  seven  or  eight 
miles  daily  for  several  days,  and  even  that  with  great 
difficulty.  I try  my  own  saddle,  then  a pack-saddle, 
then  walk  through  the  mud  ; but  I only  get  on  because 
getting  on  is  a necessity,  aud  as  soon  as  I reach  the 
night's  halting-place,  I am  obliged  to  lie  down  at  once. 
Only  strong  people  should  travel  in  Northern  Japan. 
The  inevitable  fatigue  is  much  increased  by  the  state 
of  the  weather,  and  doubtless  my  impressions  of  the 
country  are  affected  by  it  also,  as  a hamlet  in  a quag- 
mire in  a grey  mist  or  a soaking  rain,  is  a far  less 
delectable  object  than  the  same  hamlet  under  bright 
sunshine.  There  has  not  been  such  a season  for  thirty 
years.  The  rains  have  been  tremendous.  I have 
lived  in  soaked  clothes,  in  spite  of  my  rain-cloak,  and 
have  slept  on  a soaked  stretcher  in  spite  of  all  water- 
proof wrappings  for  several  days,  and  still  the  weather 
shows  no  signs  of  improvement,  and  the  rivers  are  so 
high  on  the  northern  road,  that  I am  storm  bound  as 
well  as  pain  bound  here.  Tto  shows  his  sympathy  for 


346 


VNBEATJEN  TRACKS  IN  JAPAN. 


me  by  intense  surliness,  though  he  did  say  very  send- 
bly,  “ I’m  very  sorry  for  you,  but  it’s  no  use  sajung  so 
over  and  over  again  ; as  I can  do  nothing  for  you,  you’d 
better  send  for  the  blind  man  ! ” 

In  Japanese  towns  and  villages,  you  hear  every 
evening  a man  (or  men)  making  a low  peculiar  whistle 

as  he  walks  along,  and  in  large 
towns  the  noise  is  quite  a nui- 
sance. It  is  made  by  blind 
men ; but  a blind  beggar  is 
never  seen  throughout  Japan, 
and  the  blind  are  an  independ- 
ent, respected,  and  well-to-do 
class,  carrying  on  the  occupa- 
tions of  shampooing,  money- 
lending,  and  music.  They  were 
anciently  formed  into  two 
guilds,  one  by  the  son  of  an 
emperor  who  wept  himself 
blind  for  the  loss  of  his  wife, 
and  the  other,  by  a general  who 
plucked  out  his  eyes  that  he 
might  be  delivered  from  the 
temptation  of  slapng  the  gen- 
erous prince,  who,  after  taking 
him  captive,  treated  him  with 
singular  kindness.  The  incor- 
poration formed  by  the  latter  contains  a very  large  num- 
ber of  musicians,  who  are  to  be  seen  at  theatres,  wed- 
dings, processions,  and  festivals.  The  sliampooers  with 
their  shaven  pates  are  all  blind,  and  many  of  them  add 
money-lending  at  the  rate  of  from  15  to  20  per  cent  a 
month  to  shampooing.  It  is  their  low  wliistle  which  one 

1 The  cloak,  hat,  and  figure  are  from  a sketch  of  myself,  hut  the  fac* 
la  a likeness  of  a young  Japanese  woman. 


STRAW  RAIN-CLOAK.’ 


A surrosED  monkey  teeatbe. 


347 


hears  at  night.  Next  to  smoking  and  the  hot  bath, 
shampooing  is  the  national  luxury,  which  no  Japanese, 
however  poor,  would  forego.  It  answers  to  the  lomi  lomi 
of  Hawaii,  and  consists  in  a dexterous  suppling  of  all  the 
joints,  and  kneading  of  all  the  muscles,  till  aching  and 
fatigue  are  done  away  with.  The  “ blind  man  ” is  Ito’s 
daily  luxury,  and  the  huruma  runners  surrender  theii' 
tired  limbs  to  his  manipulation  on  all  occasions.  The 
number  of  the  blind  is  very  great,  and  it  is  very  inter- 
esting to  find  that,  without  either  asylums  or  charity, 
thejr  can  make  an  independent  living.  There  is  an 
immense  deal  of  pecuniary  independence  of  a curious 
kind  in  the  Japanese,  and  the  further  removed  one  is 
from  foreigners,  the  more  marked  it  is. 

We  have  had  a very  severe  journey  from  Toy6ka. 
That  day  the  rain  was  ceaseless,  and  in  the  driving 
mists  one  could  see  little  but  low  hills  looming  on  the 
horizon,  pine  barrens,  scrub,  and  flooded  rice-fields, 
varied  by  villages  standing  along  roads  which  were 
quagmires  a foot  deep,  and  where  the  clothing  was 
specially  ragged  and  dirty.  Hinokiyama,  a village  of 
samurai,  on  a beautiful  slope,  was  an  exception,  with 
its  fine  detached  houses,  pretty  gardens,  deep-roofed 
gatewa3^s,  grass  and  stone  faced  terraces,  and  look  of 
refined,  quiet  comfort.  Everywhere  there  was  a quan- 
tity of  indigo,  as  is  necessary,  for  nearly  all  the  cloth- 
ing of  the  lower  classes  is  blue.  Near  a large  village 
we  were  riduig  on  a causeway  through  the  rice-fields, 
Iko  on  the  pack-horse  in  front,  when  we  met  a number 
of  children  returning  from  school,  who,  on  getting  near 
us.,  turned,  ran  away,  and  even  jumped  into  the  ditches, 
screaming  as  they  ran.  The  mago  ran  after  them, 
caught  the  hindmost  boy,  and  dragged  him  back,  the 
boy  scared  and  struggling,  the  man  laughing.  The  boy 
said  that  they  thought  that  I to  was  a monkey-player, 


348 


UNBEATEN  TRACKS  IN  JAPAN. 


i.e.  the  keeper  of  a monkey  theatre,  I a big  ape,  and 
the  poles  of  my  bed  the  scaffolding  of  the  stage ! 

Splashing  through  mire  and  water  we  found  that  the 
people  of  Tubine  wished  to  detain  us,  saying  that  all 
the  ferries  were  stopped  in  consequence  of  the  rise  in 
tlie  rivers,  but  I had  been  so  often  misled  by  false  re- 
ports that  I took  fresh  horses  and  went  on  by  a track 
along  a very  pretty  hill-side,  overlooking  the  Yonetsu- 
rugawa,  a large  and  swollen  river,  wliich  nearer  the  sea 
had  spread  itself  over  the  whole  country.  Torrents  of 
rain  were  still  falling,  and  all  out-of-doors  industries 
were  suspended.  Straw  rain-cloaks  hanging  to  dry 
dripped  under  all  the  eaves,  our  paper  cloaks  were  sod- 
den, our  dripping  horses  steamed,  and  thus  we  slid  down 
a steep  descent  into  the  hamlet  of  Kiriislii,  thirty-one 
houses  clustered  under  persimmon  trees  under  a wooded 
hill-side,  all  standing  in  a quagmire,  and  so  abject  and 
filthy  that  one  could  not  ask  for  five  minutes’  shelter  in 
any  one  of  them.  Sure  enough,  on  the  bank  of  the 
river,  which  was  fully  400  yards  wide,  and  swirling  like 
a mill-stream  with  a suppressed  roar,  there  was  an  offi- 
cial order  prohibiting  the  crossing  of  man  or  beast,  and 
before  I had  time  to  think,  the  mago  had  deposited  the 
baggage  on  an  islet  in  the  mire  and  was  over  the  crest 
of  the  hill.  I wished  that  the  Government  was  a little 
less  paternal. 

Just  in  the  nick  of  time  we  discerned  a punt  drifting 
down  the  river  on  the  opposite  side,  where  it  brought 
up,  and  landed  a man,  and  Ito  and  two  otliers  yelled, 
howled,  and  waved  so  lustily  as  to  attract  its  notice, 
and  to  my  joy  an  answering  yell  came  across  the  roar 
and  rush  of  the  river.  The  torrent  was  so  strong  that 
the  boatmen  had  to  pole  up  on  that  side  for  half  a mile, 
and  in  about  three  quarters  of  an  hour  they  rea<died 
our  side.  They  were  returning  to  Kotsunagi — the  very 


A BOATMAW  BBOlVIiBI). 


349 


place  I wished  to  reach,  but  though  only  2J  miles  off 
the  distance  took  nearly  four  hours  of  the  hardest  work 
I ever  saw  done  by  men.  Every  moment  I expected  to 
see  them  rupture  blood-vessels  or  tendons.  All  theii 
muscles  quivered.  It  is  a mighty  river,  and  was  from 
eight  to  twelve  feet  deep,  and  whirling  down  in  muddy 
eddies,  and  often  with  their  utmost  efforts  in  poling, 
when  it  seemed  as  if  poles  or  backs  must  break,  the 
boat  hung  trembling  and  stationary  for  three  or  four 
minutes  at  a time.  After  the  slow  and  eventless  tramp 
of  the  last  few  days  this  was  an  exciting  transit.  Higher 
up  there  was  a flooded  wood,  and  getting  into  this  the 
men  aided  themselves  considerably  by  hauling  by  the 
trees,  but  when  we  got  out  of  this,  another  river  joined 
the  Yonetsurugawa,  which  with  added  strength  rushed 
and  roared  more  wildly. 

I had  long  been  watching  a large  house-boat  far 
above  us  on  the  other  side,  which  was  being  poled  by 
desperate  efforts  by  ten  men.  At  that  point  she  must 
have  been  half  a mile  off,  when  the  stream  overpowered 
the  crew,  and  in  no  time  she  swung  round  and  came 
drifting  wildly  down  and  across  the  river,  broadside  on 
to  us.  We  could  not  stir  against  the  current,  and  had 
large  trees  on  our  immediate  left,  and  for  a moment  it 
was  a question  whether  she  would  not  smash  us  tc 
atoms.  Ito  was  livid  with  fear ; his  white,  appalled 
face  struck  me  as  ludicrous,  for  I had  no  other  thought 
than  the  imminent  peril  of  the  large  boat  with  her 
freight  of  helpless  families,  when,  just  as  she  was  within 
two  feet  of  us,  she  struck  a stem  and  glanced  off.  Then 
her  crew  grappled  a headless  trunk  and  got  their  haw- 
ser round  it,  and  eight  of  them,  one  behind  the  other, 
hung  on  to  it,  when  it  suddenly  snapped,  seven  fell 
backwards,  and  the  forward  one  went  overboard  to  b(3 
no  more  seen.  Some  house  that  night  was  desolate. 


350 


UNBEATEN  TRACKS  IN  JAPAN. 


Reeliug  downwards,  the  big  mast  and  spar  of  the  uh 
gainly  craft  caught  in  a tree,  giving  her  such  a checls 
that  they  were  able  to  make  her  fast.  It  was  a sadden 
ing  incident.  I asked  Ito  what  he  felt  when  he  seemed 
in  peril,  and  he  replied,  “ I thought  I’d  been  good  to  my 
mother,  and  honest,  and  I hoped  I should  go  to  a good 
place.” 

The  fashion  of  boats  varies  much  on  different  rivers. 
On  this  one  there  are  two  sizes.  Ours  was  a small  one, 
Qat-bottomed,  25  feet  long  by  2i  broad,  drawing  6 
inches,  very  low  in  the  water,  and  with  sides  slightly 
curved  inwards.  The  prow  forms  a gradual  long  curve 
from  the  body  of  the  boat,  and  is  very  high. 

The  mists  rolled  away  as  dusk  came  on,  and  revealed 
a lovely  country  with  much  picturesqueness  of  form, 
and  near  Kotsunagi  the  river  disappears  into  a narrow 
gorge  with  steep,  sentinel  hills  dark  with  pine  and 
cryptomeria.  To  cross  the  river  we  had  to  go  fully  a 
mile  above  the  point  aimed  at,  and  then  a few  minutes 
of  express  speed  brought  us  to  a landing  in  a deep, 
tough  quagmii'e  in  a dark  wood,  through  which  we 
groped  our  lamentable  way  to  the  yadoya.  A heavy 
mist  came  on,  and  the  rain  returned  in  torrents ; the 
doma  was  ankle  deep  in  black  slush.  The  daidokoro 
was  open  to  the  roof,  roof  and  rafters  were  black  with 
smoke,  and  a great  fire  of  damp  wood  was  smoking 
lustily.  Round  some  live  embers  in  the  irori  fifteen 
men,  women,  and  childi-en,  were  lying,  doing  nothing, 
by  the  dim  light  of  an  andon.  It  was  picturesque  de- 
cidedly, and  I was  well  disposed  to  be  content  when 
the  production  of  some  handsome  fusuma  created  dai- 
miyo's  rooms  out  of  the  farthest  part  of  the  dim  and 
wandering  space,  opening  upon  a damp  garden,  into 
which  the  rain  splashed  all  night. 

The  solitary  spoil  of  the  day's  journey  was  a glorious 


NOCTURNAL  DISTURBANCES. 


351 


lily,  which  I presented  to  the  house-master,  and  in  the 
raorjiing  it  was  blooming  on  the  Tcami-dana  in  a small 
vase  of  priceless  old  Satsuma  china.  I was  awoke  out 
of  a sound  sleep  by  Ito  coming  in  with  a rumour, 
brought  by  some  travellers,  that  the  Prime  Minister  had 
been  assassinated,  and  fifty  policemen  killed ! [This 
was  probably  a distorted  version  of  the  partial  mutiny 
of  the  Imperial  Guard,  which  I learned  on  landing  in 
Yezo.]  Very  wild  political  rumours  are  in  the  air  in 
tliese  outlandish  regions,  and  it  is  not  very  wonderful 
that  the  peasantry  lack  confidence  in  the  existing  order 
of  things  after  the  changes  of  the  last  ten  years,  and 
the  recent  assassination  of  the  Home  Minister.  I did 
not  believe  the  rumour,  for  fanaticism,  even  in  its  wild- 
est moods,  usually  owes  some  allegiance  to  common 
sense ; but  it  was  disturbing,  as  I have  naturally  come 
to  feel  a deep  interest  in  Japanese  affairs.  A few  hours 
later  Ito  again  presented  himself  with  a bleeding  cut  ou 
his  temple.  In  lighting  his  pipe  — an  odious  noctuimal 
practice  of  the  Japanese  — he  had  fallen  over  the  edge 
of  the  fire-pot.  I always  sleep  in  a Japanese  kimono  to 
be  ready  for  emergencies,  and  soon  bound  up  Ins  head, 
and  slept  again,  to  be  awoke  early  bj^  another  deluge. 

I have  been  mistaken  in  thinking  that  the  children 
are  left  without  education  in  places  in  which  there  are 
no  schools.  In  Kotsunagi,  as  well  as  in  several  other 
hamlets  in  which  I have  halted,  the  principal  inhabitants 
secure  a young  man  to  teach  their  children,  one  giving 
him  clothes,  another  board  and  lodging,  the  poorer  peo- 
ple giving  monthly  fees,  and  the  poorest  getting  their 
children’s  education  gratuitously.  This  appears  to  be 
a very  common  custom.  At  Kotsunagi  the  house-mas- 
ter gives  the  teacher  board  and  lodging,  and  thffty  stu- 
dious children  are  taught  in  a portion  of  the  daidokoro. 

We  made  an  early  start,  but  got  over  very  little 


352 


UNBEATEN  TRACKS  IN  JAPAN. 


groujid,  owing  to  bad  roads  and  long  delays.  All  day 
the  rain  came  down  in  even  torrents,  the  tracks  were 
nearly  impassable,  my  horse  fell  five  times,  I suffered 
severely  from  pain  and  exhaustion,  and  almost  fell  into 
despair'  about  ever  reaching  the  sea.  In  these  wild 
regions  there  are  no  hago  or  norimons  to  be  had,  and  a 
pack-horse  is  the  only  conveyance,  and  yesterday,  hav- 
ing abandoned  my  own  saddle,  I had  the  bad  luck  tc 
get  a pack-saddle  with  specially  angular  and  uncom 
promising  peaks,  with  a soaked  and  extremely  unwashed 
futon  on  the  top,  spars,  tackle,  ridges,  and  furrows,  of 
the  most  exasperating  description,  and  two  nooses  ol 
rope  to  hold  on  by,  as  the  animal  slid  down-hill  on  his 
haunches,  or  let  me  almost  slide  over  his  tail  as  he 
scrambled  and  plunged  up-hill. 

It  was  pretty  country,  even  in  the  dovmpour,  when 
white  mists  parted,  and  fir-crowned  heights  looked  out 
for  a moment,  or  we  slid  down  into  a deep  glen  with 
mossy  boulders,  lichen-covered  stumps,  ferny  carpet, 
and  damp,  balsamy  smell  of  pyramidal  cryptomeria,  and 
a tawny  torrent  daslung  through  it  in  gusts  of  passion. 
Then  there  were  low  hills,  much  scrub,  unmense  rice- 
fields,  and  violent  inundations.  But  it  is  not  pleasant, 
even  in  the  prettiest  country,  to  cling  on  to  a pack-sad- 
dle, with  a saturated  quilt  below  3'ou,  and  the  water 
slowly  soaking  down  tlirough  your  wet  clothes  into 
y'our  boots,  knowing  all  the  time  that  when  3'ou  halt 
you  must  sleep  on  a wet  bed,  and  change  mto  damp 
clothes,  and  put  on  the  wet  ones  again  the  next  morn 
log.  The  \’illages  were  poor,  and  most  of  the  houses 
were  of  boards  rudely  nailed  together  for  ends,  and  for 
sides  straw  rudely  tied  on ; they  had  no  windows,  and 
smoke  came  out  of  ever3^  crack.  They'  were  as  imlike 
the  houses  wliich  travellers  see  in  Southern  Japan  as  a 
‘‘  black  hut  ” in  Uist  is  like  a cottage  in  a trim  village 


KIND  PEOPLE. 


353 


in  Kent.  These  peasant  proprietors  have  much  to  learn 
of  the  art  of  living.  At  Tsuguriko,  the  next  stage, 
where  the  Transport  Office  was  so  dirty  that  I was 
obliged,  to  sit  in  the  street  in  the  rain,  they  told  us  that 
we  could  only  get  on  a ri  farther,  because  the  bridges 
were  all  carried  away,  and  the  fords  were  impassable ; 
but  I engaged  liorses,  and  by  dint  of  British  dogged- 
ness, and  the  willingness  of  the  mago.,  I got  the  horses 
singly  and  without  their  loads,  in  small  punts  across  the 
swollen  waters  of  the  Hayakuchi,  the  Yuwasd,  and  the 
Mochida,  and  finally  forded  tliree  branches  of  my  old 
friend  the  Yonetsurugawa,  with  the  foam  of  its  hurry- 
ing waters  whitening  the  men’s  shoulders  and  the 
horses’  packs,  and  with  a hundred  Japanese  looking  on 
at  the  “ folly  ” of  the  foreigner. 

I like  to  tell  you  of  kind  people  everywhere,  and  the 
two  mago  were  specially  so,  for  when  they  found  that  I 
was  pushing  on  to  Yezo  for  fear  of  being  laid  up  in  the 
interior  wilds,  they  did  all  they  could  to  help  me ; lifted 
me  gently  from  the  horse,  made  steps  of  their  backs,  for 
me  to  mount,  and  gathered  for  me  handfuls  of  red  ber- 
ries, which  I ate  out  of  politeness,  though  they  tasted 
of  some  nauseous  drug.  They  suggested  that  I should 
stay  at  the  picturesquely  situated  old  village  of  Kawa- 
guchi, but  everything  about  it  was  mildewed,  and  green 
with  damp,  and  the  stench  from  the  green  and  black 
ditches  with  which  it  abounded  was  so  overpowering, 
even  in  passing  through,  that  I was  obliged  to  ride  on 
to  Odat^,  a crowded,  forlorn,  half-tumbling-to-pieces 
town  of  8000  people,  with  bark  roofs  held  down  by 
stones. 

The  yadoyas  are  crowded  with  storm-staid  travellers, 
and  I had  a weary  tramp  from  one  to  another,  almost 
sinking  from  pain,  pressed  upon  by  an  immense  crowd, 
and  frequently  bothered  by  a policeman,  who  followed 


354 


UNBEATEN  TltACKS  IN  JAPAN. 


me  fiom  oae  place  to  the  other,  making  wholly  imright- 
eons  demands  for  my  passport  at  that  most  inopportune 
time.  After  a long  search  I could  get  nothing  bettei 
than  this  room,  with  fusuma  of  tissue  paper,  in  the  cen- 
tre of  the  din  of  the  house,  close  to  the  dovia  and  daido- 
icoro.  Fifty  travellers,  nearly  all  men,  are  here,  mostly 
speaking  at  the  top  of  their  voices,  and  in  a provincial 
jargon  which  exasperates  Ito.  Cooking,  bathmg,  eat- 
ing, and,  worst  of  all,  perpetual  drawing  water  from  a 
well  wfrh  a creaking  hoisting  apparatus,  are-  going  on 
from  4.30  in  the  morning  tiU  11.30  at  night,  and  on  both 
evenings  noisy  mirth,  of  alcoholic  inspiration,  and  dis- 
sonant performances  by  geishas,  have  added  to  the  din. 

In  all  places  lately  Hai,  “ yes,”  has  been  pronounced 
IT4,  Chi,  Na,  Ne,  to  Ito’s  great  contempt.  It  sounds 
like  an  expletive  or  interjection  rather  than  a response, 
and  seems  used  often  as  a sign  of  respect  or  attention 
only.  Often  it  is  loud  and  shrill,  then  guttural,  at 
times  little  more  than  a sigh.  In  these  yadoyas  every 
sound  is  audible,  and  I hear  low  rumbling  of  mingled 
voices,  and  above  all  the  sharp  Hai,  Hai,  of  the  tea- 
house girls,  in  full  chorus  from  every  quarter  of  the 
house.  The  habit  of  saying  it  is  so  strong  that  a man 
' roused  out  of  sleep  jumps  up  with  Hai,  Hai,  and  often, 
when  I speak  to  Ito  in  English,  a stupid  Hebe  sitting 
by  answers  Hai. 

I don’t  want  to  convey  a false  impression  of  the  noise 
liere.  It  would  be  at  least  three  times  as  great  were  I 
in  equally  close  proximity  to  a large  hotel  kitchen  in 
England,  with  fifty  Britons  only  separated  frxm  me  by 
paper  partitions.  I had  not  been  long  in  bed  on  Satur- 
daj  night,  when  I was  awoke  by  Ito  bringing  in  an  old 
hen  which  he  said  he  coidd  stew  tiU.  it  was  tender,  and 
I fell  asleep  again  with  its  dying  squeak  in  my  ear’s,  to 
be  awoke  a second  time  by  two  policemen  wanting  for 


MOBE  NOCTURNAL  DISTURBANCES. 


355 


some  occult  reason  to  see  my  passport,  and  a tliird  time 
by  two  men  with  lanterns  scrambling  and  fumbling 
about  the  room,  for  the  strings  of  a mosquito  net,  which 
they  wanted  foi'  another  traveller.  These  are  among 
the  ludicrous  incidents  of  Japanese  travelling.  About 
five  Tto  woke  me  by  sajdng  he  was  quite  sure  that  the 
mora  would  be  the  thing  to  cure  my  spine,  and  as  we 
wei'e  going  to  stay  all  day,  he  would  go  and  fetch  an 
operator ; but  I rejected  this  as  emphatically  as  the  ser- 
vices of  the  blind  man ! Yesterday  a man  came  and 
pasted  slips  of  paper  over  all  the  “ peep-holes  ” in  the 
shoji,  and  I have  been  very  little  annoyed,  even  though 
the  yadoya  is  so  crowded. 

The  number  of  towns  of  about  10,000  people  is  very 
surprising.  Odatd,  like  many  others  of  its  size,  seems 
to  have  no  special  reason  for  existence.  It  has,  how- 
ever, a trade  with  Noshiro,  by  the  turbulent  river 
Yonetsurugawa,  and  makes  large  quantities  of  coarse 
lacquer  for  andons  and  bowls,  and  the  short  knives 
which  are  used  for  reaping,  as  well  as  the  hoes  and  mat- 
tocks which  are  almost  the  only  implements  used  for 
the  garden-like  cultivation  of  Japan.  It  is  a miserable- 
looking  town,  patched  up  and  propped  up,  and  the 
large  number  of  iron-workers  in  their  wretched  forges, 
which  line  the  streets  in  some  places,  make  it  look  like 
a slum  of  a Staffordshire  nail-making  village. 

The  rain  continues  to  come  down  in  torrents,  and 
rumours  are  hourly  arriving  of  disasters  to  roads  and 
bi'idges  on  the  northern  route.  I.  L.  B. 


350 


UNBEATEN  TRACKS  IN  JAPAN. 


SHIRASAWA. 

Good-tempeied  Intoxication  — The  Effect  of  Sunshine  — A ledioui 
Altercation  — “Harassed  Interests” — Foreign  Requirements  — 
Village  Doings  — Homogeneity  of  Japan  — Evening  Occupations 
— Noisy  Talk  — Social  Gatherings — Unfair  Comparisons. 

Shibasawa,  July  29. 

Early  this  morning  the  rain-clouds  rolled  themselves 
up  and  disappeared,  and  the  bright  blue  sky  looked  as 
if  it  had  been  well  washed.  I had  to  wait  till  noon 
before  the  rivers  became  fordable,  and  my  day’s  journey 
is  only  seven  miles,  as  it  is  not  possible  to  go  farther 
till  more  of  the  water  rmis  off.  We  had  very  limp, 
melancholy  horses,  and  my  mago  was  half-tipsy,  and 
sang,  talked,  and  jumped  the  whole  way.  SakS  is  fre- 
quentlj'  taken  warm,  and  in  that  state  produces  a very 
noisy  but  good-tempered  intoxication.  I have  seen  a 
good  mauj^  intoxicated  persons,  but  never  one  in  the 
least  degree  quarrelsome,  and  the  effect  very  soon 
passes  off,  leaving,  however,  an  unpleasant  nausea  for 
two  or  three  days,  as  a warning  agamst  excess.  The 
abominable  concoctions  known  under  the  names  of 
beer,  wine,  and  brandy,  produce  a bad-tempered  and 
prolonged  intoxication,  and  delirium  tremens.,  rarely 
known  as  a result  of  sake  drinking,  is  being  introduced 
under  their  baleful  influence. 

The  sun  shone  gloriously  and  brightened  the  hfll-gir- 
dled  valley  in  wliich  Odat4  stands  into  positive  beauty, 
with  the  narrow  river  flinging  its  bright  waters  cvei 


A TEDIOUS  ALTEBGATION. 


357 


green  and  red  shingle,  lighting  it  up  in  glints  among 
the  conical  hills,  some  richly  wooded  with  coniferce^  and 
others  merely  covered  with  scrub,  which  we?e  tumbled 
about  in  picturesque  confusion.  When  Japan  gets  the 
sunshine,  its  forest-covered  hills  and  garden-like  valleys 
are  turned  into  paradise.  In  a journey  of  600  miles 
there  has  hardly  been  a patch  of  country  which  would 
not  have  been  beautiful  in  sunlight. 

We  crossed  five  severe  fords  with  the  water  half-way 
up  the  horses’  bodies,  in  one  of  which  the  strong  cur- 
rent carried  my  mago  off  his  feet,  and  the  horse  towed 
him  ashore,  singing  and  capering,  his  drunken  glee 
nothing  abated  by  his  cold  bath.  Everything  is  in  a 
state  of  wreck.  Several  river  channels  have  been 
formed  in  places  where  there  was  only  one ; there  is  not 
a trace  of  the  road  for  a considerable  distance,  not  a 
bridge  exists  for  ten  miles,  and  a great  tract  of  coun- 
try is  covered  with  boulders,  uprooted  trees,  and  logs 
floated  from  the  mountain  sides.  Already,  however, 
these  industrious  peasants  are  driving  piles,  carrying 
soil  for  embankments  in  creels  on  horses’  backs,  and 
making  ropes  of  stones  to  prevent  a recurrence  of  the 
calamity.  About  here  the  female  peasants  wear  for 
field-work  a dress  which  pleases  me  much  by  its  suita- 
bility— light  blue  trousers,  with  a loose  sack  over 
them,  confined  at  the  waist  by  a girdle. 

On  arriving  here  in  much  pain,  and  knowing  that 
the  road  was  not  open  any  farther,  I was  annoyed  by  a 
long  and  angry  conversation  between  the  house-master 
and  Ito,  during  which  the  horses  were  not  unloaded, 
and  the  upshot  of  it  was  that  the  man  declined  to  give 
me  shelter,  saying  that  the  police  had  been  round  the 
week  before  giving  notice  that  no  foreigner  was  to  be 
received  without  first  communicating  with  the  nearest 
police  station,  which,  in  this  instance,  is  three  hours  off. 


358 


UNBEATEN  TRACKS  IN  JAPAN. 


I said  that  the  authorities  of  Akita  ken  could  not  bj 
any  local  regulations  override  the  Imperial  edict  under 
which  passports  are  issued ; but  he  said  he  should  be 
liable  to  a fine  and  the  withdrawal  of  his  license  if  he 
violat  ed  the  rule.  No  foreigner,  he  said,  had  ever  lodged 
in  Shirasawa,  and  I have  no  doubt  that  he  added  that 
lie  hoped  no  foreigner  would  ever  seek  lodgings  again. 
My  passport  was  copied  and  sent  ofi“  by  special  runner, 
as  I should  have  deeply  regretted  bringing  trouble  on 
the  poor  man  by  insisting  on  my  rights,  and  in  much 
trepidation  he  gave  me  a room  open  on  one  side  to  the 
village,  and  on  another  to  a pond,  over  which,  as  if  to 
court  mosquitoes,  it  is  partially  built.  I cannot  think 
how  the  Japanese  can  regard  a hole  full  of  dii’ty  water 
as  an  ornamental  appendage  to  a house. 

The  house-masters,  are,  I think,  somewhat  harassed 
in  their  business;  indeed,  over  government  and  endless 
and  worrying  changes  in  details,  are  defects  of  the 
present  rSgime.  Nearly  every  week  a number  of  fresh 
notifications  are  issued,  and  the  dull,  puzzled  brains  of 
the  peasantry  have  hardly  taken  in  one  batch  before 
another  appears,  and  the  police  are  sharp  in  pulling  up 
ofi'enders.  The  house-masters  are  obliged  to  enter  in  a 
book,  not  only  the  names  and  destinations  of  all  travel- 
lers, but  the  name  of  the  place  they  last  came  from, 
and  this  book  must  be  exhibited  to  the  police  on  their 
monthly  domiciliary  visit.  In  the  case  of  foreigners, 
the  special  harassment  warrants  a special  charge,  for 
there  is  the  labour  of  making  two  copies  of  the  pass- 
port, and  a man  “giving  accommodation  to,  or  lodging 
foreigners,  without  permission  from  the  authorities,” 
is  liable  to  a fine,  and  to  be  flogged  in  default  of  pay- 
ment. Apart  from  these  special  difficulties,  I think 
that  a house-master  is  entitled  to  make  a higher  charge 
to  a foreigner,  because  a single  foreigner  occupies  a 


VILLAGE  DOINGS. 


3f)9 

whole  room  in  which  six  or  eight  Japanese  would  be 
perfectly  happy,  he  requires  water  in  his  room,  he 
cocks  odd  food  at  odd  times,  and  generally  gives  more 
trcuble.  So  far  I am  quite  on  the  house-master’s  side, 
and  feel  ashamed  of  some  of  my  countrymen,  and  of 
many  Americans,  who  give  15  sen,  without  a gratuity, 
for  a good  room,  futons  ad  libitum,  a well-replenished 
hihachi,  hot  water  to  wash  in,  an  andon  all  night,  and 
rice  and  tea  without  stint  — fire,  candle,  two  meals,  a 
good  room,  and  good  attendance,  for  7d. ! My  hotel 
expenses  (including  Ito’s)  are  less  than  3s.  a-day,  and 
in  nearly  every  place  there  has  been  a cordial  desire 
that  I should  be  comfortable,  and  considering  that  I 
have  often  put  up  in  small,  rough  hamlets  off  the  great 
routes  even  of  Japanese  travel,  the  accommodation, 
minus  the  fleas  and  the  odours,  has  been  surprisingly 
excellent,  not  to  be  equalled,  I should  think,  in  equally 
remote  regions  in  any  country  in  the  world. 

I have  spent  the  pleasant  evening  looking  into  the 
street  of  the  little  quiet  village  of  71  houses  — one  of 
thousands  of  similar  villages,  with  its  Kdchd  and  notifl- 
cation  boards,  its  temple  and  graveyard,  its  decaying 
objects  of  worship,  its  matsuri,  its  social  polity,  its  mar- 
riages and  deaths,  its  small  local  interests,  its  police 
visitations,  its  tax  paying,  its  land  feuds,  its  small  scan- 
dals, its  superstition  and  ignorance  — a little  world,  but 
part  of  great  Japan.  Centralisation  is  the  principle  of 
Japanese  Government,  but  it  is  a remarkable  fact  that 
law  is  as  strong  here  as  in  the  capital  itself,  and  the 
fitiong  arm  of  power  is  none  the  less  strong  because  it 
has  reached  over  600  miles  of  country.  Though  the 
old  system  of  espionage  is  ended,  I doubt  not  that 
the  doings  of  Shii-asawa  are  known  at  the  Ministry  of 
the  Interior  at  TOkiyO  through  numberless  reports,  foi 
Japanese  officialdom  is  nothing  unless  it  writes. 


360 


UNBEATEN  TRACKS  IN  JAPAN. 


Again  the  homogeneity  of  the  country  interests  me 
greatly.  I have  now  travelled  through  several  regions 
which  were  until  lately  distinct,  and  not  always  friend- 
ly, principalities,  each  with  its  separate  feudal  system 
Climate  and  vegetation  have  considerably  changed  in 
5°  of  latitude,  and  in  this  ken  speech  itself  differs  wide- 
ly from  the  speech  of  the  central  provinces.  But  every- 
where the  temples  and  houses  are  constructed  on  iden- 
tically the  same  plan,  and  though  some  may  be  large 
and  some  small,  and  wooden  walls  and  mud  walls, 
thatched  roofs  and  roofs  of  bark  or  shingles,  nni}'  alter- 
nate, the  interior  of  the  dwelling-house  has  always  simi- 
lar recognisable  features.  Crops  vary  with  the  soil  and 
climate,  but  there  is  no  change  in  the  manner  of  culti- 
vation ; the  manuring  and  other  agricultural  processes 
are  always  the  same.  And  far  beyond  all  this  the 
etiquette  which  governs  society  in  all  its  grades  is  prac- 
tically the  same.  The  Akita  coolie,  boor  as  he  may  be,  is 
just  as  courteously  ceremonious  in  his  intercourse  with 
others  as  the  Tokiyo  coolie ; the  Shirasawa  maidens  are 
as  self-possessed,  dignified,  and  courteous  as  those  of 
Nikk6 ; the  children  play  at  the  same  games,  ufith  the 
same  toys,  and  take  the  same  formal  steps  in  life  at  the 
same  ages.  All  are  bound  alike  by  the  same  rigid 
fetters  of  social  order,  a traditional  code  which,  if  it 
works  some  evil,  works  also  so  much  good  that  I should 
grieve  to  see  it  displaced  by  any  perverted  imitation  of 
Western  manners  and  customs. 

Tliis  evening,  here,  as  in  thousands  of  other  villages, 
the  men  came  home  from  their  work,  ate  their  food, 
took  their  smoke,  enjoj-ed  their  children,  carried  them 
about,  watched  their  games,  twisted  straw  ropes,  made 
straw  sandals,  split  bamboo,  wove  straw  rain-coats,  and 
spent  the  time  universally  in  those  little  economical 
ingenuities  and  skilful  adaptations  which  our  people 


NOISY  TALK. 


361 


(the  worse  for  them)  practise  perhaps  less  than  any 
other.  There  was  no  assembling  at  the  sakS  shop. 
Poor  though  the  homes  are,  the  men  enjoy  them ; the 
eliildren  are  an  attraction  at  any  rate,  and  the  brawling 
and  disobedience  which  often  turn  our  working-class 
homes  into  bear-gardens  are  unknown  here  where 
docility  and  obedience  are  inculcated  from  the  cradle 
as  a matter  of  course.  The  signs  of  religion  become 
fewer  as  I travel  north,  and  it  appears  that  the  little 
faith  which  exists  consists  mainly  in  a belief  in  certain 
charms  and  superstitions,  which  the  priests  indus- 
triously foster. 

A low  voice  is  not  regarded  as  “a  most  excellent 
thing  ” in  man  at  least,  among  the  lower  classes  in 
Japan.  The  people  speak  at  the  top  of  their  voices, 
and  though  most  words  and  syllables  end  in  vowels, 
the  general  effect  of  a conversation  is  like  the  discord- 
ant gabble  of  a farmyard.  The  next  room  to  mine  is 
full  of  storm-bound  travellers,  and  they  and  the  house 
master  kept  up  what  I thought  was  a most  important 
argument  for  four  hours  at  the  top  of  their  voices.  I 
supposed  it  must  be  on  the  new  and  important  ordi- 
aauce  granting  local  elective  assemblies,  of  which  I 
heard  at  Odat^,  but  on  inquiry  found  that  it  was  possi- 
ble to  spend  four  mortal  hours  in  discussing  whether 
the  day’s  journey  from  Odatd  to  Noshiro  could  be 
made  best  by  road  or  river.  I have  heard  from  “ one 
who  knows”  that  the  conversation  even  among  edu- 
cated Japanese  is  of  the  poorest  order.  Politics  and 
public  matters  are  tabooed,  religion  and  kindred  topics 
are  nowhere,  art  has  lost  its  interest,  literature  is  no- 
where, the  elevating  influence  of  cifltivated  women  is 
absent,  from  old  habit  or  present  distrust  every  man 
fears  to  commit  himself  by  giving  an  opinion  on  any 
subject  which  is  worth  speaking  about,  and  talk  degen 


362 


UNBEATEN  TRACKS  IN  JAPAN. 


erates  into  a coarse  jocularity  and  ribaldry  with  which 
a foreigner  of  refinement  can  have  no  sympathy. 

Japanese  women  have  their  own  gatherings,  where 
gossip  and  chit-chat,  marked  by  a truly  Oriental  inde- 
corum of  speech,  are  the  staple  of  talk.  I think  that 
in  many  things,  specially  in  some  which  lie  on  the  sur- 
face, the  Japanese  are  greatly  our  superiors,  but  that 
in  many  others  they  are  immeasurably  behind  us.  In 
living  altogether  among  this  courteous,  industrious, 
and  civilised  people,  one  comes  to  forget  that  one  is 
doing  them  a gross  injustice  in  comparing  their  man- 
ners and  ways  with  those  of  a people  moulded  by  manj 
centuries  of  Christianity.  Would  to  God  that  we  were 
so  Christianised,  that  the  comparison  might  always  be 
favourable  to  us,  which  it  is  not ! 

July  30.  In  the  room  on  the  other  side  of  mine  were 
two  men  with  severe  eye-disease,  with  shaven  heads 
and  long  and  curious  rosaries,  who  beat  small  drums  as 
they  walked,  and  were  on  pilgrimage  to  the  shrine  of 
Fudo  at  Megura,  near  Yedo,  a seated,  flame-surrounded 
idol,  with  a naked  sword  in  one  hand  and  a coil  of  rope 
in  the  other,  who  has  the  reputation  of  giving  sight  to 
the  blind.  At  five  this  morning  they  began  their 
devotions,  which  consisted  in  repeating  with  great 
rapidity,  and  in  a high  monotonous  key  for  two  hours, 
the  invocation  of  the  Nichiren  sect  of  Buddhists,  Namu 
miyo  ho  ren  ge  Kiyo,  which  certainly  no  Japanese 
understands,  and  on  the  meaning  of  which,  even  the 
best  scholars  are  divided ; one  having  given  me, 
“Glory  to  the  salvation-bringing  Scriptures;”  anoth- 
er, “ Hail,  precious  law  and  gospel  of  the  lotus  flower,” 
and  a third,  “ Heaven  and  earth  ! The  teachings  of 
the  wonderful  lotus  flower  sect.”  Namu  amidu  Butsu, 
occurred  at  intervals,  and  two  drums  were  beaten  the 
whole  time ! 


FAITHFUL  REPRESENTATIONS. 


36a 


Tlie  rain,  which  began  again  at  eleven  last  night,  fell 
from  five  till  eight  this  morning,  not  in  drops,  bnt  in 
streams,  and  in  the  middle  of  it,  a heavy  pall  of  black- 
ness (said  to  be  a total  eclipse)  enfolded  all  things  in  a 
lurid  gloom.  Any  detention  is  exasperating  within  one 
day  of  my  journey’s  end,  and  I hear  without  equanim- 
ity, that  there  are  great  difficulties  ahead,  and  that  our 
getting  through  in  three  or  even  four  days  is  doubtful. 
I hope  you  will  not  be  tired  of  the  monotony  of  my 
letters.  Such  as  they  are,  they  represent  the  scenes 
which  a traveller  would  see  throughout  much  of  North- 
ern Japan,  and  whatever  interest  they  have  consists  in 
the  fact  that  they  are  a faithful  representation,  made 
upon  the  spot,  of  what  a foreigner  sees  and  hears  in 
travelling  through  a large  but  unfrequented  region. 

I.  L.  B. 


364 


UNBEATEN  TRACKS  IN  JAPAN. 


AN  INUNDATION. 

Torrents  of  Rain  — An  unpleasant  Detention  — Devastations  prt  ■ 
dnced  by  Floods  — The  Tadate  Pass — The  Force  of  Water- 
Difficulties  thicken  — A Primitive  Tadoya  — The  Water  rises. 

Ikakigaseki,  Aomoei  Ken,  August  2. 

The  prophecies  concerning  difficulties  are  fulfilled. 
I'or  six  days  and  five  nights  the  rain  has  never  ceased, 
except  for  a few  hours  at  a time,  and  for  the  last  thir- 
teen hours,  as  during  the  eclipse  at  Shirasawa,  it  has 
been  falling  in  such  sheets  as  I have  only  seen  for  a few 
minutes  at  a time  on  the  equator.  I have  been  here 
storm-staid  for  two  days,  with  damp  bed,  damp  clothes, 
damp  everything,  and  boots,  bag,  books,  are  all  green 
with  mildew.  And  still  the  rain  falls,  and  roads, 
bridges,  rice-fields,  trees,  and  hill-sides  are  being  swept 
in  a common  ruin  towards  the  Tsugaru  Strait,  so  tan- 
talisingl}^  near  ; and  the  simple  people  are  calling  on  the 
forgotten  gods  of  the  rivers  and  the  hUls,  on  the  sim 
and  moon,  and  all  the  host  of  heaven,  to  save  them 
from  this  “ plague  of  immoderate  rain  and  waters.”  For 
myself  to  be  able  to  lie  down  all  day  is  something,  and 
as  “ the  mind,  when  in  a healthy  state,  reposes  as  quiet 
ly  before  an  insurmountable  difficulty  as  before  au 
ascertained  truth,”  so,  as  I cannot  get  on,  I have  ceased 
to  chafe,  and  am  rather  inclined  to  magni^'  the  advan- 
tages of  the  detention,  a necessarj'  process,  as  you 
would  think  if  you  saw  my  surroundings ! 

The  day  before  yesterday,  in  spite  of  severe  pain,  was 


DEVASTATIONS  PBODUCED  BY  FLOODS.  36tJ 


one  of  the  most  interesting  of  my  journey.  As  I 
learned  something  of  the  force  of  fire  in  Hawaii,  I am 
learning  not  a little  of  the  force  of  water  in  Japan. 
We  left  Shirasawa  at  noon,  as  it  looked  likely  to  clear, 
taking  two  horses  and  three  men.  It  is  beautiful  scen- 
ery— a wild  valley,  upon  which  a number  of  lateral 
ridges  descend,  rendered  strikingly  picturesque  by  the 
dark  pyramidal  cryptomeria,  which  are  truly  the  glory 
of  Japan.  Five  of  the  fords  were  deep  and  rapid,  and 
the  entrance  on  them  difficult,  as  the  sloping  descents 
were  all  carried  away,  leaving  steep  banks,  which  had 
to  be  levelled  by  the  mattocks  of  the  mago.  Then  the 
fords  themselves  were  gone ; there  were  shallows  where 
there  had  been  depths,  and  depths  where  there  had 
been  shallows ; new  channels  were  carved,  and  great 
beds  of  shingle  had  been  thrown  up.  Much  wreckage 
lay  about.  The  road  and  its  small  bridges  were  all 
gone,  trees  torn  up  by  the  roots  or  snapped  short  off  by 
being  struck  by  heavy  logs,  were  heaped  together  like 
barricades,  leaves  and  even  bark  being  in  many  cases 
stripped  completely  off;  great  logs  fioated  down  the 
river  in  such  numbers  and  with  such  forca  that  we  had 
to  wait  half  an  hour  in  one  place  to  secure  a safe  cross- 
ing; hollows  were  filled  with  liquid  mud,  boulders  of 
great  size  were  piled  into  embankments  causing  perilous 
alterations  in  the  course  of  the  river;  a fertile  valley 
had  been  utterly  destroyed,  and  the  men  said  they  could 
hardly  find  their  way. 

At  the  end  of  five  miles  it  became  impassable  for 
horses,  and  with  two  of  the  mago  carrying  the  baggage, 
we  set  off,  wading  through  water  and  climbing  along 
the  side  of  a hill,  up  to  our  knees  in  soft,  wet  soil.  The 
hiU-side  and  the  road  were  both  gone,  and  there  were 
heavy  landslips  along  the  whole  valley.  Happily  there 
was  not  much  of  this  exhausting  work,  for  just  as  higher 


366 


UNBEATEN  TRACKS  IN  JAPAN. 


aad  darker  ranges,  densely  wooded  with  crjptomt.ria, 
began  to  close  us  in,  we  emerged  upon  a fine  new  road, 
broad  enough  for  a carriage,  wliich,  after  crossing  two 
ravines  on  fine  bridges,  plunges  into  the  depths  of  a 
magnificent  forest,  and  then  by  a long  series  of  fine 
iigzags  of  easy  gradients,  ascends  the  pass  of  Yadate,  on 
the  top  of  which,  in  a deep  sandstone  cutting,  is  a hand- 
some obelisk,  marking  the  boundary  between  Akita  and 
Aomori  ken.  This  is  a marvellous  road  for  Japan,  it  is 
so  well  graded  and  built  up,  and  logs  for  travellers’ 
rests  are  placed  at  convenient  distances.  Some  very 
heavy  work  in  grading  and  blasting  has  been  done  upon 
it,  but  there  are  only  four  miles  of  it,  with  wretched 
bridle  tracks  at  each  end.  I left  the  others  behind,  and 
strolled  on  alone  over  the  top  of  the  pass  and  down  the 
other  side,  where  the  road  is  blasted  out  of  rock  of  a 
vivid  pink  and  green  colour,  looking  brilliant  under  the 
trickle  of  water.  I admire  tlris  pass  more  than  anything 
I have  seen  in  Japan ; I even  long  to  see  it  again,  but 
under  a bright  blue  sky.  It  reminds  me  much  of  the 
finest  part  of  the  Brunig  Pass,  and  something  of  some 
of  the  passes  in  the  Rocky  Mountams,  but  the  trees  are 
far  finer  than  in  either.  It  was  lonely,  stately,  dark, 
solemn ; its  huge  eryptomeria,  straight  as  masts,  sent 
their  taU  spires  far  aloft  in  search  of  light ; the  ferns, 
which  love  damp  and  shady  places,  were  the  only  under- 
growth ; the  trees  flung  their  balsamy,  aromatic  scent 
liberally  upon  the  air,  and  in  the  unlighted  depths  of 
many  a ravine  and  hollow,  clear,  bright  torrents  leapt 
and  tumbled,  drowning  with  their  thundering  bass  the 
musical  treble  of  the  lighter  streams.  Not  a traveller 
disturbed  the  solitude  with  liis  sandalled  footfall ; there 
was  neither  song  of  bird  nor  hum  of  insect. 

In  the  midst  of  this  sublime  scenery',  and  at  the  very 
top  of  the  pass,  the  rain,  which  had  been  light  but 


THE  TAD  ATE  PASS. 


361 


steady  during  the  whole  day,  began  to  come  down  in 
streams  and  then  in  sheets.  I have  been  so  rained  upon 
for  weeks  that  at  first  I took  little  notice  of  it,  but  very 
soon  changes  occurred  before  my  eyes  which  concen- 
trated my  attention  upon  it.  The  rush  of  waters  was 
heard  everywhere,  trees  of  great  size  slid  down,  break- 
ing others  in  their  fall ; rocks  were  rent  and  carried 
away  trees  in  their  descent,  the  waters  rose  before  our 
eyes ; with  a boom  and  roar  as  of  an  earthquake  a hill- 
side burst,  and  half  the  hill,  with  a noble  forest  of 
cryptomeria,  was  projected  outwards,  and  the  trees, 
with  the  laud  on  which  they  grew,  went  down  heads 
foremost,  diverting  a river  from  its  course,  and  where 
the  forest-covered  hill-side  had  been  there  was  a great 
scar,  out  of  which  a torrent  burst  at  high  pressure, 
which  in  half  an  hour  carved  for  itself  a deep  ravine,  and 
carried  into  the  valley  below  an  avalanche  of  stones 
and  sand.  Another  hill-side  descended  less  abruptly, 
and  its  noble  groves  found  themselves  at  the  bottom  in 
a perpendicular  position,  and  will  doubtless  survive 
their  transplantation.  Actually,  before  my  eyes,  this 
fine  new  road  was  torn  away  by  hastily  improvised 
torrents,  or  blocked  by  landslips  in  several  places,  and 
a little  lower,  in  one  moment,  a hundred  yards  of  it 
disappeared,  and  with  them  a fine  bridge,  which  was 
deposited  aslant  across  the  torrent  lower  down. 

On  the  descent,  when  things  began  to  look  very  bad, 
and  the  mountain-sides  had  become  cascades  bringing 
trees,  logs,  and  rocks  down  with  them,  Ave  were  fortu- 
nate enough  to  meet  with  two  pack-horses  whose  leaders 
were  ignorant  of  the  impassability  of  the  road  to  Odatd, 
and  they  and  my  coolies  exchanged  loads.  These  were 
strong  horses,  and  the  mago  were  skilful  and  coura- 
geous. They  said,  if  we  hurried,  we  could  just  get  to 
the  hamlet  they  had  left,  they  thought,  but  while  they 


368 


UNBEATEN  TRACKS  IN  JAPAN. 


spoke  the  road  and  the  bridge  below  were  carried  awaj?. 
They  insisted  on  lashing  me  to  the  pack-saddle.  The 
great  stream,  whose  beauty  I had  formerly  admired, 
was  now  a tiling  of  dread,  and  had  to  be  forded  four 
times  without  fords.  It  crashed  and  thundered,  drown- 
ing (lie  feeble  sound  of  human  voices,  the  torrents  from 
the  heavens  liissed  through  tlie  forest,  trees  and  logs 
came  crashing  down  the  hill-sides,  a thousand  cascades 
added  to  the  din,  and  in  the  bewilderment  produced  by 
such  an  unusual  concatenation  of  sights  and  sounds  we 
stumbled  through  the  river,  the  men  up  to  their  shoul- 
ders, the  liorses  up  to  their  backs.  Again  and  again  we 
crossed.  The  banks  being  carried  away,  it  was  ver}' 
hard  to  get  either  into  or  out  of  the  water ; the  horses 
had  to  scramble  or  jump  up  places  as  high  as  their 
shoulders,  all  slippery  and  crumbling,  and  twice  the 
men  cut  steps  for  them  with  axes.  The  rush  of  the 
torrent  at  the  last  crossing  taxed  the  strength  of  both 
men  and  horses,  and  as  I was  helpless  from  being  tied 
on,  I confess  that  1 shut  my  eyes ! After  getting 
through,  we  came  upon  the  lands  belonging  to  this 
village  — rice-fields  with  the  dykes  burst,  and  all  the 
beautiful  ridge  and  furrow  cultivation  of  the  other 
crops  carried  away.  The  waters  were  rising  fast,  the 
men  said  we  must  hurry ; they  unbound  me,  so  that  I 
might  ride  more  comfortably,  spoke  to  the  horses,  and 
went  on  at  a run.  My  horse,  which  had  nearly  worn 
out  his  shoes  in  the  fords,  stumbled  at  every  step,  the 
mago  gave  me  a noose' of  rope  to  clutch,  the  rain  fell  in 
such  torrents  that  I speculated  on  the  chance  of  being 
washed  off  my  saddle,  when  suddenly  I saw  a shower 
of  sparks ; I felt  unutterable  things,  I was  choked, 
bruised,  stifled,  and  presently  foimd  myself  being  hauled 
out  of  a ditch  by  three  men,  and  realised  that  the  horse 
had  tumbled  down  in  going  down  a steepish  hill,  an  J 


A PRIMITIVE  YADOYA. 


369 


that  I had  gone  over  his  head.  To  climb  again  on  the 
soaked  futon  was  the  work  of  a moment,  and  with 
men  running,  and  horses  stumbling  and  splashing,  we 
crossed  the  Hirakawa  by  one  fine  bridge,  and  half  a 
mile  farther  re-crossed  it  on  another,  wishing  as  we  did 
so  that  all  Japanese  bridges  were  as  substantial,  for  they 
were  both  100  feet  long,  and  had  central  piers. 

Wc  entered  Ikarigaseki  from  the  last  bridge,  a village 
of  800  people,  on  a narrow  ledge  between  an  abrupt 
hill  and  the  Hirakawa,  a most  forlorn  and  tumble-down 
place,  given  up  to  felling  timber  and  making  shingles; 
and  timber  in  all  its  forms  — logs,  planks,  faggots,  and 
shingles,  is  heaped  and  stacked  about.  It  looks  more 
like  a lumberer’s  encampment  than  a permanent  village, 
but  it  is  beautifully  situated,  and  unlike  any  of  the 
innumerable  villages  that  I have  ever  seen. 

The  street  is  long  and  narrow,  with  streams  in  stone 
channels  on  either  side,  but  these  had  overflowed,  and 
men,  women,  and  cliildren  were  constructing  square 
dams  to  keep  the  water,  wliich  had  already  reached  the 
doma^  from  rising  over  the  tatami.  Hardly  any  house  has 
paper  windows,  and  m the  few  which  have,  they  are  so 
black  with  smoke  as  to  look  worse  than  none.  The 
roofs  are  nearly  flat,  and  are  covered  with  shingles  held 
on  by  laths,  and  weighted  with  large  stones.  Nearly 
all  the  houses  look  like  temporary  sheds,  and  most  are 
as  black  inside  as  a Barra  hut.  The  walls  of  many  are 
nothing  but  rough  boards  tied  to  the  uprights  by  straw- 
ropes. 

In  the  drowning  torrent,  sitting  in  puddles  of  water, 
and  drenched  to  the  skin  hours  before,  we  reached  this 
very  primitive  yadoya,  the  lower  part  of  which  is  occu- 
pied by  the  daidokoro^  a party  of  storm-bound  students, 
horses,  fowls,  and  dogs.  INIy  room  is  a wretched  loft, 
reached  by  a ladder,  with  such  a quagmire  at  its  foot 


370 


UNBEATEN  TRACKS  IN  JAPAN. 


that  I have  to  desceud  into  it  in  Wellington  boots.  It 
was  dismally  grotesque  at  first.  The  torrent  on  the 
unceiled  roof  prevented  Ito  from  hearing  what  I said, 
the  bed  was  soaked,  and  the  water,  having  got  into  my 
box,  had  dissolved  the  remains  of  the  condensed  milk, 
and  had  reduced  clothes,  books,  and  paper,  into  a con- 
dition of  universal  stickiness.  My  kimono  was  less  wet 
than  anything  else,  and  borrowing  a sheet  of  oiled  paper, 
I lay  down  in  it,  till  roused  up  in  half  an  hour  by  Ito 
shrieking  above  the  din  on  the  roof  that  the  people 
thought  that  the  bridge  by  Avliich  we  had  just  entered 
would  give  way;  and  running  to  the  river  bank  we 
joined  a large  crowd,  far  too  intensely  occupied  by  the 
coming  disaster  to  take  any  notice  of  the  first  foreign 
lady  they  had  ever  seen. 

The  Hiraka\va,  wluch  an  hour  before  was  merely  a 
clear,  rapid,  mountain  stream,  about  four  feet  deep,  was 
then  ten  feet  deep,  they  said,  and  tearing  along,  thick 
and  muddy,  and  with  a fearful  roar, 

“ And  each  wave  was  crested  with  tawny  foam, 

Like  the  mane  of  a chestnut  steed.” 

Immense  logs  of  hewn  timber,  trees,  roots,  branches, 
and  faggots,  were  coming  down  in  numbers.  The  abut- 
ment on  this  side  was  much  undermined,  but,  except 
that  the  central  pier  trembled  whenever  a log  struck  it, 
the  bridge  itself  stood  firm,  so  firm,  indeed,  that  two 
men,  anxious  to  save  some  property  on  the  other  side, 
crossed  it  after  I arrived.  Then  logs  of  planed  timber 
of  large  size,  and  joints,  and  much  wreckage,  came 
down,  fully  fort}'  fine  timbers,  thii-ty  feet  long,  for  the 
fine  bridge  above  had  give  way.  Most  of  the  harvest 
of  logs  cut  on  the  Yadate  Pass  must  have  been  lost, 
for  over  300  were  carried  down  in  the  short  time  in 
which  I watched  the  river.  This  is  a very  heavy 


THE  POWER  OF  WATER. 


371 


loss  to  this  village,  which  lives  by  the  timber  trade. 
Efforts  were  made  at  a bank  higher  up  to  catch  them  as 
they  drifted  by,  but  they  only  saved  about  one  in 
twenty.  It  was  most  exciting  to  see  the  grand  way 
in  which  these  timbers  came  down ; and  the  moment 
in  which  they  were  to  strike  or  not  to  strike  the  pier 
was  one  of  intense  suspense.  After  an  hour  of  this  two 
superb  logs,  fully  thirty  feet  long,  came  down  close 
together,  and  striking  the  central  pier  nearly  simulta- 
neously, it  shuddered  horribly,  the  great  bridge  parted 
in  the  middle,  gave  an  awful  groan  like  a living  thing, 
plunged  into  the  torrent,  and  re-appeared  in  the  foam 
below  only  as  disjointed  timbers  hurrying  to  the  sea. 
Not  a vestige  remained.  The  bridge  below  was  carried 
away  in  the  morning,  so,  till  the  river  becomes  fordable, 
this  little  place  is  completely  isolated.  On  thirty  miles 
of  road,  out  of  nineteen  bridges,  only  two  remain,  and 
the  road  itself  is  almost  wholly  carried  away  I 


372 


UNBEATEN  TRACKS  IN  JAPAN. 


CHILDREN’S  GAMES. 

Scanty  Kesources  — Japanese  Children  — Children’s  Games  — A saga 
clous  Example  — A Kite  Competition — Alphabet  Cards  — Conta- 
gious Merriment  — Popular  Proverbs  — Personal  Privations. 

Ikabigaseki. 

I HAVE  well-nigli  exhausted  the  resources  of  this 
place.  They  are  to  go  out  three  times  a day  to  see  how 
much  the  river  has  fallen,  to  talk  with  the  house-mas- 
ter aud  Kocho,  to  watch  the  children’s  games  and  the 
making  of  shingles ; to  buy  toys  and  sweetmeats  and 
give  them  away ; to  apply  zinc  lotion  to  a number  of 
sore  eyes  three  times  daily,  under  which  treatment,  dur- 
ing three  days,  there  has  been  a wonderful  amendment ; 
to  watch  the  cooking,  spinning,  and  other  domestic  pro- 
cesses in  the  daidohoro  ; to  see  the  horses,  which  are  also 
actually  in  it,  making  meals  of  green  leaves  of  trees  in- 
stead of  hay ; to  see  the  lepers  who  are  here  for  some 
waters  which  are  supposed  to  arrest,  if  not  to  cure,  their 
terrible  malady ; to  lie  on  my  stretcher  and  sew,  and 
read  the  papers  of  the  Asiatic  Society,  and  to  go  over- 
all possible  routes  to  Aomori.  The  people  have  become 
very  friendly  in  consequence  of  the  eye  lotion,  and 
[(ring  many  diseases  for  my  inspection,  most  of  wlrich 
would  never  have  arisen  had  cleanliness  of  clothing  and 
person  been  attended  to.  The  absence  of  soap,  the  in- 
frequency with  which  clothing  is  washed,  and  the  ab- 
sence of  linen  next  the  skin,  cause  various  cutaneous 
diseases,  which  are  aggravated  by  the  bites  and  stings 


JAPANESE  CHILDREN. 


373 


of  insects.  Scald-head  affects  nearly  half  the  children 
here. 

I am  very  fond  of  Japanese  children.  I have  never 
yet  heard  a baby  cry,  and  I have  never  seen  a child 
troublesome  or  disobedient.  Filial  piety  is  the  leading 
virtue  in  Japan,  and  unquestioning  obedience  is  the  habit 
of  centuries.  The  arts  and  threats  by  which  English 
mothers  cajole  or  frighten  children  into  unwilling  obe- 
dience appear  unknown.  I admire  the  way  in  which 
children  are  taught  to  be  independent  in  their  amuse- 
ments. Part  of  the  home  education  is  the  learning  of 
the  rules  of  the  different  games,  which  are  absolute,  and 
when  there  is  a doubt,  instead  of  a quarrelsome  suspen- 
sion of  the  game,  the  fiat  of  a senior  child  decides  the 
matter.  They  play  by  themselves,  and  don’t  bother 
adults  at  every  turn.  I usually  carry  sweeties  with  me, 
and  give  them  to  the  children,  but  not  one  has  ever 
received  them  without  first  obtaining  permission  from 
the  father  or  mother.  When  that  is  gained,  they  smile 
and  bow  profoundly,  and  hand  the  sweeties  to  those 
present  before  eating  any  themselves.  They  are  gentle 
creatures,  but  too  formal  and  precocious. 

They  have  no  special  dress.  This  is  so  queer  that  I 
cannot  repeat  it  too  often.  At  three  they  put  on  the 
kimono  and  girdle,  which  are  as  inconvenient  to  them  as 
to  their  parents,  and  childish  play  in  this  garb  is  gro- 
tesque. I have,  however,  never  seen  what  we  call  child’s 
play,  that  general  abandonment  to  miscellaneous  im- 
pulses, which  consists  in  struggling,  slapping,  rolling, 
jumping,  kicking,  shouting,  laughing,  and  quarrelling ! 

Two  fine  boys  are  very  clever  in  harnessing  paper 
carts  to  the  backs  of  beetles  with  gummed  traces,  so 
that  eight  of  them  draw  a load  of  rice  up  an  inclined 
plane.  You  can  imagine  what  the  fate  of  such  a load 
and  team  would  be  at  home  among  a number  of  snatch- 


374 


UNBEATEN  TRACES  IN  JAPAN. 


iiig  hands.  Here,  a number  of  infants  watch  the  per 
formance  with  motionless  interest,  and  never  need  the 
adjuration,  “ Don’t  touch.”  In  most  of  the  houses  there 
are  bamboo  cages  for  “ the  shrill-voiced  Katydid,”  and 
the  childi’en  amuse  themselves  with  feeding  these  vocif- 
erous grasshoppers.  The  channels  of  swift  water  in  the 
street  turn  a number  of  toy  water-wheels,  which  set  in 
motion  most  mgenious  mechanical  toys,  of  which  a 
model  of  the  automatic  rice-husker  is  the  commonest, 
and  the  boys  spend  much  time  in  devising  and  watch- 
ing these,  which  are  really  very  fascinating.  It  is  the 
holidays,  but  “ holiday  tasks  ” are  given,  and  in  the  even- 
ings you  hear  the  hum  of  lessons  all  along  the  street 
for  about  an  hour.  The  school  examination  is  at  the 
re-opening  of  the  school  after  the  holidays,  instead  of 
at  the  end  of  the  session,  an  arrangement  which  shows 
an  honest  desire  to  discern  the  permanent  gain  made 
by  the  scholars. 

This  afternoon  has  been  fine  and  windy,  and  the  boys 
have  been  flying  kites,  made  of  tough  paper  on  a baan- 
boo  frame,  all  of  a rectangular  shape,  some  of  them  five 
feet  square,  and  nearl}^  all  decorated  with  huge  faces  of 
Iiistorical  heroes.  Some  of  them  have  a humming  ar- 
rangement made  of  whalebone.  There  was  a very  inter- 
esting contest  between  two  great  kites,  and  it  brought 
out  the  whole  population.  The  string  of  each  kite, 
for  30  feet  or  more  below  the  frame,  was  covered  with 
pounded  glass,  made  to  adhere  very  closely  by  means  of 
tenacious  glue,  and  for  two  hours  the  kite-fighters  tried 
to  get  their  kites  into  a proper  position  for  sawing  the 
adversary’s  string  in  two.  At  last  one  was  successful, 
and  the  severed  kite  became  Ms  property,  upon  wMch 
victor  and  vanquished  exchanged  three  low  bows. 
Silently  as  the  people  watched  and  received  the  destruc- 
tion of  their  bridge,  so  silentl}"  they  watched  this  excit 


CHILDREN’S  GAMES. 


375 


ing  contest.  The  boys  also  flew  their  kites  while  walking 
on  stilts,  a most  dexterous  performance,  in  wliich  few 
were  able  to  take  part,  and  then  a larger  number  gave 
a stilt  race.  The  most  striking  out-of-door  games,  are 
played  at  fixed  seasons  of  the  year,  and  are  not  to  be 
seen  now. 

There  are  twelve  children  in  this  yadoya.,  and  after 
dark  they  regularly  play  at  a game  which  Ito  says  “ is 
played  in  the  winter  in  every  house  in  Japan.”  The 
children  sit  in  a circle,  and  the  adults  look  on  eagerly, 
child-worship  being  more  common  in  Japan  than  in 
America,  and  to  my  thinking,  the  Japanese  form  is  the 
best. 

This  game  of  I-ro-ha  garuta,  or  Alphabet  Cards,  is 
played  with  small  cards,  each  one  containing  a proverb. 
On  another  is  a picture  which  illustrates  it.  Each  prov- 
erb begins  with  a letter  of  the  Japanese  syllabary. 
The  cards  are  shuffled  and  dealt,  and  the  children  ap- 
point one  of  their  number  to  be  the  reader.  He  reads 
a proverb  on  one  of  his  cards,  and  the  one  who  has  the 
picture  corresponding  to  the  proverb  read  calls  out. 
The  one  who  first  gets  rid  of  his  cards  wins  the  game, 
and  the  one  who  has  the  last  card  loses  it.  The  game 
was  played  with  great  animation  and  rapidity,  but  with 
the  most  amusing  courtesy.  All  the  ugly,  open-mouthed, 
kindly  lookers-on  were  delighted.  At  the  end  the  loser, 
who  was  a little  girl,  had  a wisp  of  straw  put  into  her 
hair ; had  it  been  a boy,  he  would  have  had  certain  pre- 
scribed ink  marks  made  upon  liis  face.  All  this  was 
gone  thi’ough  with  stinging  wood  smoke  aggravating  the 
eyes,  cooking  going  on  upon  the  fire,  carding  cotton  on 
the  mats,  and  from  the  far  back  gloom  four  horses 
watched  the  dimly-lighted  circle.  Then  tea  was  handed 
round,  and  I gave  sweetmeats  to  all  the  children.  Then 
Ito  made  a rough  translation  of  many  of  the  proverbs, 


376 


UNBEATEN  TRACKS  IN  JAB  AN. 


some  of  which,  partly  from  the  odd  language  into  which 
he  put  them,  and  partly  from  their  resemblance  to  our 
own,  made  me  laugh  uncontro-lably,  and  my  mirth,  or 
my  unsuccessful  efforts  to  restrain  it,  proving  contagious, 
it  ended  m twenty  people  laughing  themselves  into  a 
state  of  exhaustion ! I feel  much  better  for  it,  and 
thoroughly  enjoyed  the  evening. 

Ito  has  since  wi-itten  what  he  says  is  a good  transla 
tion  of  the  best  sayings,  or  what  he  thinks  the  best, 
which  I send.  Is  it  not  strange  to  find  the  same  ideas 
gathered  up  into  re cognisably  similar  forms  in  Japan  as 
in  England,  and  cast  into  these  forms  at  a date  when 
our  ancestors  were  clothed  in  paint  and  skins  ? “ Speak 

of  a man  and  his  shadow  comes.”  “ A tongue  of  three 
inches  can  kill  a man  of  six  feet.”  “ Curse  a neighbour 
and  dig  two  graves.”  Never  give  a Tco-bang  to  a cat.” 
“ The  fly  finds  the  diseased  spot.”  “ A small-minded 
man  looks  at  the  sky  through  a reed.”  “ The  putting-ofi 
man  sharpens  his  arrows  when  he  sees  the  lion.”  “ Dis- 
eases enter  by  the  mouth.”  “ For  a woman  to  rule  is  as 
for  a hen  to  crow  in  the  morning.”  These  are  a few, 
with  clever  though  not  always  refined  illustrations,  but 
Ito  brought  a book  of  proverbs,  of  which  he  translated 
many,  among  the  best  of  which  are  — “ Good  doctrine 
needs  not  help  from  marvels.”  “ Love  flies  with  the  red 
petticoat  ” (onl}'  unmarried  girls  wear  this  piquant  gar- 
ment). Among  those  which  indicate  the  impossible  are 
— “ Scattering  a fog  with  a fan.”  “ Buildmg  bridges  to 
tlie  clouds.”  “ To  dip  up  the  ocean  with  a shell.” 
Among  the  most  curious  of  the  axioms  are  — “If  you 
hate  a man  let  him  live.”  This  is  another  of  the  proofs 
of  the  disrelish  for  life  which  is  so  common  among 
Orientals.  “Many  words,  little  sense.”  “Let  the 
preaching  suit  the  hearer.”  “ To  be  over  polite  is  to 
be  rude.”  “ The  doctor  can't  cure  himself.”  “ Hell's 


POPULAR  PROVERBS. 


377 


torments  are  measured  by  money.”  “ The  fortime- 
teller  can’t  tell  his  own  fortune.”  “ There  are  thorns 
on  all  roses.”  “ Inquire  seven  times  before  you  believe 
a report.”  “•  To  know  the  new  search  the  old.”  “ He 
is  a clever  man  who  can  preach  a short  sermon.”  “ Don’t 
rub  salt  on  a sore.”  “ A cur  is  bold  (or  barks  bravely) 
before  his  own  gate.”  “ Treat  every  old  man  as  thy 
father.”  “When  old  men  grow  too  old,  they  must 
obey  their  children.”  “A  good  son  makes  a happy 
father.”  “ Famous  swords  were  made  of  iron  scrap 
ings.”  “ A wise  man  keeps  to  his  money.”  “ A man 
who  lends  money  to  a friend  will  never  more  see  his 
friend  or  his  money.”  “ Trust  a woman  so  long  as  thy 
mother’s  eyes  are  on  her.”  “ Tell  not  thy  secrets  to  a 
servant.”  “ Thine  own  heart  makes  the  world.”  ^ Some 
of  these,  you  will  observe,  contain  very  good  teaching, 
and  others  are  intensely  worldly.  A number  more, 
showing  a distrust  and  low  estimate  of  women,  were 
translated,  but  I will  only  give  two  — “A  wise  wife 
seldom  crosses  her  husband’s  threshold,”  and  “ A child 
less  wife  is  a curse  from  the  gods.”  One  beautiful  prov- 
erb is,  “ The  poet  at  home  sees  the  whole  world,”  and 
another  is,  “ The  throne  of  the  gods  is  on  the  brow  of 
a righteous  man.” 

From  proverbial  philosophy  to  personal  privation  is 
rather  a descent,  but  owing  to  the  many  detentions  on 
the  journey  my  small  stock  of  foreign  food  is  exhausted, 
and  I have  been  living  here  on  rice,  cucumbers,  and 
salt  salmon  — so  salt,  that,  after  being  boiled  in  two 
waters,  it  produces  a most  distressing  thirst.  Even 
this  has  failed  to-day,  as  communication  with  the  coast 
has  been  stopped  for  some  time,  and  the  village  is  suf- 

1 Several  of  these  proverbs,  with  slight  verbal  differences,  are  to  ho 
found  in  a copious  collection  of  Japanese  i)roverh3  given  by  Mr.  Griffis 
in  The  Mikado's  Empire. 


378 


UNBEATEN  TRACKS  IN  JAPAN. 


fering  under  the  calamity  of  its  stock  of  salt  fish  being 
completely  exhausted.  There  are  no  eggs,  and  rice  and 
cucumbers  are  very  like  the  “fight  food”  which  the 
Israelites  “loathed.”  I had  an  omelette  one  day,  but 
it  was  much  like  musty  leather.  The  Italian  minister 
said  to  me  in  T6kiy8,  “No  question  in  Japan  is  so 
solemn  as  that  of  food,”  and  many  others  echoed  what 
I thought  at  the  time  a most  unworthy  sentiment.  I 
recognised  its  truth  to-day  when  I opened  my  last 
resort,  a box  of  Brand’s  meat  lozenges,  and  found  them 
a mass  of  mouldiness.  One  can  only  dry  clothes  here 
by  hanging  them  in  the  wood  smoke,  so  I prefer  to  let 
them  mildew  on  the  walls,  and  have  bought  a straw 
rain-coat,  which  is  more  reliable  than  the  paper  water- 
proofs. I hear  the  hum  of  the  children  at  their  lessons 
for  the  last  time,  for  the  waters  are  falling  fast,  and  Are 
shall  leave  in  the  morning.  I.  L.  B. 


EFFECTS  OF  THE  FLOOD. 


879 


THE  TANABATA. 

Hope  deferred  — Effects  of  tlie  Flood — Activity  of  the  Police — A 
Kamble  in  Disguise  — The  Tanabata  Festival  — Mr.  Satow’s  Kepu- 
tation  — The  Weaving  Woman. 

Kukoishi,  August  6. 

After  all,  the  waters  did  not  fall  as  was  expected, 
and  I had  to  spend  a fourth  day  at  Tkarigaseki.  We 
left  early  on  Saturday,  as  we  had  to  travel  fifteen  miles 
without  halting.  The  sun  shone  on  all  the  beautiful 
country,  and  on  all  the  wreck  and  devastation,  as  it 
often  shines  on  the  dimpling  ocean  the  day  after  a 
storm.  We  took  four  men,  crossed  two  severe  fords 
where  bridges  had  been  carried  away,  and  where  I and 
the  baggage  got  very  wet ; saw  great  devastations  and 
much  loss  of  crops  and  felled  timber ; passed  under  a 
cliff,  which  for  200  feet  was  composed  of  fine  columnar 
basalt  in  six-sided  prisms,  and  quite  suddenly  emerged 
on  a great  plain,  on  which  green  billows  of  rice  were 
rolling  sunlit  before  a fresh  north  wind.  This  plain  is 
liberally  sprinkled  with  wooded  villages  and  surrounded 
by  hills ; one  low  range  forming  a curtain  across  the 
base  of  Iwakisan,  a great  snow-streaked  dome,  which 
rises  to  the  west  of  the  plain  to  a supposed  height  of 
5000  feet.  The  water  had  risen  in  most  of  the  villages 
to  a height  of  four  feet,  and  had  washed  the  lower  part 
of  the  mud  walls  away.  The  people  were  busy  drying 
their  tatami,  futons.,  and  clothing,  reconstructing  their 
dykes  and  small  bridges,  and  fishing  for  the  logs  which 
were  still  coming  down  in  large  quantities. 


380 


VN  BE  ATEN  TRACKS  IN  JAPAN. 


In  one  town  two  very  shabby  policemen  rushed  upon 
us,  seized  the  bridle  of  my  horse,  and  kept  me  waiting 
for  a long  time  in  the  middle  of  a crowd,  while  they 
toilsomely  hored  through  the  passport,  turning  it  up  and 
down,  and  holding  it  up  to  the  light,  as  though  there 
were  some  nefarious  mystery  about  it.  My  horse  stum- 
bled so  badly  that  I was  obliged  to  walk  to  save  my  sell 
from  another  fall,  and  just  as  my  powers  were  failing, 
we  met  a huruma.,  which,  by  good  management,  such  as 
being  carried  occasionally,  brought  me  into  Kuroishi,  a 
neat  town  of  5500  people,  famous  for  the  making  of 
clogs  and  combs,  where  I have  obtained  a very  neat, 
airy,  upstairs  room,  with  a good  view  over  the  surround- 
ing country,  and  of  the  doings  of  my  neighbours  in 
their  back  rooms  and  gardens.  Instead  of  getting  on 
to  Aomori  I am  spending  three  days  and  two  nights 
here,  and  as  the  weather  has  improved,  and  my  room  is 
remarkably  cheerful,  the  rest  has  been  very  pleasant. 
As  I have  said  before,  it  is  diflScult  to  get  any  informa- 
tion about  anytliing  even  a few  miles  off,  and  even  at 
the  Post  Office  they  cannot  give  any  intelligence  as  to 
the  date  of  the  sailings  of  the  mail  steamer  between 
Aomori,  twenty  miles  off,  and  Hakodate. 

The  police  were  not  satisfied  Avith  seeing  my  passport, 
but  must  also  see  me,  and  four-  of  them  paid  me  a polite 
but  domiciliary  visit  the  evening  of  my  arrival.  That 
evening  the  sound  of  drumming  was  ceaseless,  and  soon 
after  I was  in  bed  Ito  announced  that  there  was  some- 
thing reall}^  worth  seeing,  so  I went  out  in  my  kimono, 
and  without  my  hat,  and  in  this  ffisguise  altogether  es- 
caped recognition  as  a foreigner.  Kuroishi  is  unlighted, 
and  I was  tumbling  and  stumbling  along  in  overhaste 
when  a strong  arm  cleared  the  way,  and  the  house-mas- 
ter aiipoared  with  a very  prettj-  lantern,  hanging  close 
to  the  ground  from  a cane  held  in  the  hand.  Thus 
came  the  plirase,  “ Thy  word  is  a light  unto  my  feet.” 


THE  TANABATA  FESTIVAL. 


381 


We  soon  reached  a point  for  seeing  the  festival  pro- 
cession advance  towards  us,  and  it  was  so  beautiful  and 
picturesque,  that  it  kept  me  out  for  an  hour.  It  passes 
through  all  the  streets  between  7 and  10  p.m.  each  night, 
during  the  first  week  in  August,  with  an  ark,  or  coffer, 
containing  slips  of  paper,  on  which  (as  I understand), 
wishes  are  written,  and  each  morning  at  seven  this  is 
carried  to  the  river,  and  the  slips  are  cast  upon  the 
stream.  The  procession  consisted  of  three  i lonster 
drums  nearly  the  height  of  a man’s  body,  covered  with 
horsehide,  and  strapped  to  the  drummers,  end  upwards, 
and  thirty  small  drums,  all  beaten  rub-a-dub-dub  with- 
out ceasing.  Each  drum  has  the  tomoye  painted  on  its 
ends.  Then  there  were  hundreds  of  paper  lanterns 
carried  on  long  poles  of  various  lengths,  round  a central 
lantern,  20  feet  high,  itself  an  oblong  6 feet  long,  with 
a front  and  wings,  and  all  kinds  of  mythical  and  mys- 
tical creatures  painted  in  bright  colours  upon  it,  a trans- 
parency rather  than  a lantern  in  fact.  Surrounding  it 
were  hundreds  of  beautiful  lanterns  and  transparencies 
of  all  sorts  of  fanciful  shapes,  fans,  fishes,  birds,  kites, 
drums;  the  hundreds  of  people  and  children  who  fol- 
lowed all  carried  circular  lanterns,  and  rows  of  lanterns 
with  the  tomoye  on  one  side  and  two  Chinese  characters 
on  the  other,  hung  from  the  eaves  all  along  the  line  of 
the  procession.  I never  saw  anything  more  completely 
like  a fairy  scene,  the  undulating  waves  of  lanterns  as 
they  swayed  along,  the  soft  lights  and  soft  tints  moving 
aloft  in  the  darkness,  the  lantern-bearers  being  in  deep 
shadow.  This  festival  is  called  the  tanahata  or  seiseJci 
festival,  but  I am  unable  to  get  any  information  about 
it.i  Ito  says  that  he  knows  what  it  means,  but  is  un- 

1 Mr.  F.  V.  Dickins,  has  kindly  given  me  the  following  notes  on  this 
curious  festival.  Tanabata  is  represented  by  characters  meaning, 
seventh  day  of  seventh  month.  It  is  also  known  as  Seiscki,  star-ecen- 


382 


UNBEATEN  TRACKS  IN  JAPAN. 


able  to  explain,  and  adds  the  phrase  he  always  uses 
when  in  difficulties,  “ Mr.  Satow  would  be  able  to  tell 
you  all  about  it.”  I.  L.  B. 

ing.  On  tlie  above  evening  offerings  are  made  and  adoration  paid  to 
Shokujo,  the  “ weaving  woman,”  the  star  Ve(/a,  and  Kengiu,  the  “ herd- 
man,”  said  by  some  to  be  a star  in  Aquila  and  by  others  to  be  parts  of 
Capricornns  and  Sagittarius.  The  following  typical  legend  of  Chinese 
origin  is  one  of  the  most  popular  concerning  these  stars.  On  the  bank 
of  the  stream  of  heaven,  a beautiful  woman  lived,  who  occupied  herself 
for  years  unsuccessfully  in  the  attempt  to  weave  a web  of  fine  silk. 
The  Lord  of  Heaven,  ijitying  her  disappointment,  sent  her  a husband, 
who  lived  on  the  lower  earth,  in  whose  love  she  forgot  her  task.  Dis- 
pleased with  this,  the  Lord  of  Heaven  sent  her  back  to  her  original 
home,  and  only  allowed  her  to  visit  her  husband  once  a year,  on  the 
evening  of  the  seventh  day  of  the  seventh  month.  The  woman,  the 
star  Vega,  is  supposed  to  cross  the  MUky  Way  by  a miraculous  bridge, 
formed  by  birds  placing  their  wings  diagonally  across  the  heavenly 
stream. 

Those  who  on  this  evening  are  fortunate  enough  to  observe  the  min- 
gling of  the  two  stars,  known  to  the  Japanese  as  Shokujo  and  Kengiu, 
will  find  their  wishes  realised,  if  not  in  one  year,  within  three  years. 
People  may  wish  for  ability,  for  long  life  and  happiness,  and  for  chil- 
dren, but  women  and  girls  wish  chiefly  for  cleverness  in  needlework. 
Various  offerings  are  made  on  this  evening,  and  are  placed  on  a stand, 
over  which  are  arched  two  bamboos  connected  by  a rice  straw  rope. 


d LAjDF’S  toilet. 


383 


POPULAR  SUPERSTITIONS. 

A Lady’s  Toilet  — Hair-dressing  — Paint  and  Cosmetics  — Afternoon 
Visitors  — Christian  Converts  — Popular  Superstitions  — Wraiths 
and  Apparitions  — Spiritualism  — Omens  and  Dreams  — Love  and 
Kevenge. 

K0ROISHI,  August  5. 

This  is  a pleasant  place,  and  my  room  has  many  ad- 
vantages besides  light  and  cleanliness,  as,  for  instance, 
that  I overlook  my  neighbours,  and  that  I have  seen  a 
lady  at  her  toilet  preparing  for  a wedding ! A married 
girl  knelt  in  front  of  a black  lacquer  toilet-box  with  a 
spray  of  cherry  blossoms  in  gold  sprawling  over  it,  and 
lacquer  uprights  at  the  top,  which  supported  a polished 
metal  mirror.  Several  drawers  in  the  toilet-box  were 
open,  and  toilet  requisites  in  small  lacquer  boxes  were 
lying  on  the  floor.  A female  barber  stood  behind  the 
lady,  combing,  dividing,  and  tying  her  hair,  which,  like 
that  of  all  Japanese  women,  was  glossy  black,  but 
neither  fine  nor  long.  The  coiffure  is  an  erection,  a 
complete  work  of  art.  Two  divisions,  three  inches 
apart,  were  made  along  the  top  of  the  head,  and  the 
lock  of  hair  between  these  was  combed,  stiffened  with 
a bandoline  made  from  the  Uvario  Japonica,  raised  two 
inches  from  the  forehead,  turned  back,  tied,  and  pinned 
to  the  back  hair.  The  rest  was  combed  from  each  side 
to  the  back,  and  then  tied  loosely  with  twine  made  of 
paper.  Several  switches  of  false  hair  were  then  taken 
out  of  a long  lacquer  box,  and  with  the  aid  of  a quan- 
tity of  bandoline  and  a solid  pad,  the  ordinary  smooth 


384 


UNBEATEN  TRACES  IN  JAPAN. 


chignon  was  produced,  to  which  several  loops  anil  bows: 
of  hair  were  added,  interwoven  with  a little  dark-blue 
cripe,  spangled  with  gold.  A single  thick,  square-sided, 
tortoise-shell  pin  was  stuck  through  the  whole  as  an 
ornament. 

The  fashions  of  dressing  the  hair  are  fixed.  They 
vary  with  the  ages  of  female  children,  and  there  is  a 
slight  difference  between  the  coiffure  of  the  married 
and  unmarried.  The  two  partings  on  the  top  of  the 
head  and  the  chignon  never  vary.  The  amoimt  of  stiff- 
ening used  is  necessary,  as  the  head  is  never  covered  out 
of  doors.  This  arrangement  whl  last  in  good  order  for 
a week  or  more  — thanks  to  the  wooden  pillow. 

The  barber’s  work  was  only  partially  done  when  the 
hair  was  dressed,  for  every  vestige  of  recalcitrant  eye- 
brow was  removed,  and  every  downy  hair  which  dared 
to  display  itself  on  the  temples  and  neck  was  pulled  out 
with  tweezers.  This  removal  of  all  short  hair  has  a 
tendency  to  make  even  the  natural  hair  look  like  a wig. 
Then  the  lady  herself  took  a box  of  white  powder,  and 
laid  it  on  her  face,  ears,  and  neck,  till  her  skin  looked 
like  a mask.  With  a camel's-hair  brush  she  then  ap- 
plied some  mixture  to  her  eyelids  to  make  the  bright 
eyes  look  brighter,  the  teeth  were  blackened,  or  rather 
reblackened,  with  a feather  brush  dipped  in  a solution  of 
gall-nuts  and  iron  filings  — a tiresome  and  disgusting 
process,  several  times  repeated,  and  then  a patch  of  red 
was  placed  upon  the  lower  lip.  I cannot  say  that  the 
effect  was  pleasing,  but  the  girl  thought  so,  for  she 
turned  her  head  so  as  to  see  the  general  effect  in  the 
mirror,  smiled,  and  was  satisfied.  The  remainder  of 
her  toilet,  which  altogether  took  over  three  hours,  was 
preformed  in  private,  and  when  she  reappeared  she 
looked  as  if  a very  unmeaning-looking  wooden  doll  had 
been  dressed  up  with  the  exquisite  good  taste,  harmony, 


CHRISTIAN  CONVERTS. 


385 


and  quietness  which  characterise  the  dress  of  Japanese 
women. 

A most  rigid  social  etiquette  draws  an  impassable  line 
of  demarcatioTi  between  the  costume  of  the  virtuous 
woman  in  every  rank  and  that  of  her  frail  sister.  The 
humiliating  truth  that  many  of  our  female  fashions  are 
originated  by  those  whose  position  we  the  most  regret. 


and  are  then  carefully  copied  by  all  classes  of  women  in 
our  country,  does  not  obtain  credence  among  Japanese 
women,  to  whom  even  the  slightest  approximation  in  the 
style  of  hairdressing,  ornament,  or  fashion  of  garments 
would  be  a shame. 

I was  surprised  to  hear  that  three  “ Christian  stu- 
dents ” from  Hirosaki  wished  to  see  me,  tloree  remarkably 
Intelligent-looking,  handsomely-dressed  young  men,  who 


386 


UNBEATEN  TRACKS  IN  JAR  AN. 


all  spoke  a little  Englisli.  One  of  them  had  the  bi  ight 
est  and  most  intellectual  face  which  I have  seen  in  Japan 
They  are  of  the  samurai  class,  as  I should  have  known 
from  the  superior  type  of  face  and  manner.  They  said 
that  they  heard  that  an  English  lady  was  in  the  house, 
Skud  asked  me  if  I were  a Christian,  but  apparently  Aven- 
uot  satisfied  till,  in  answer  to  the  question  if  I had  a 
Bible,  I was  able  to  produce  one. 

Hu’osaki  is  a castle  town  of  some  importance,  3^  ri 
from  here,  and  its  Q'^-daimiyo  supports  a high-class 
school  or  college  there,  which  has  had  two  Americans 
successively  for  its  head-masters.  These  gentlemen 
must  have  been  very  consistent  in  Clrristian  li\dng  as 
well  as  energetic  in  Christian  teaching,  for  under  their 
auspices  thirty  young  men  have  embraced  Cliristianity. 
As  all  of  these  are  well  educated,  and  several  are  nearly 
ready  to  pass  as  teachers  into  Government  emplo}’- 
ment,  their  acceptance  of  the  “ new  way  ” may  have  an 
important  bearing  on  the  future  of  this  region. 

It  is  a singular  fact  that  the  most  important  work 
done  in  Japan  for  the  advancement  of  Christianity  has 
been  done  outside  of  missionary  organisations  alto- 
gether, and  in  regions  in  which  no  missionary,  as  such, 
is  allowed  to  settle, — by  Mr.  Clark  of  the  Agricultural 
College  at  Satsuporo,  in  Yezo,  under  Avhose  teach- 
ing eighteen  young  men  have  become  Christians,  by 
Captain  Jayne,  a scientific  teacher  at  a Government 
school  in  Kiushiu,  under  Avhom  forty  young  men  of  the 
samurai  class,  noAv  theological  students  in  Ki^'oto, 
received  Christianity,  and  by  iMr.  lug  and  INIr.  Davidson 
at  Ilirosaki  — all  Americans,  and  all  in  Japanese  em- 
ployment. The  latitude  accorded  to  these  teachers 
shows  the  extent  to  which  Clmstianity  is  now  tolerated. 

These  three  students,  Avho  gave  their  names  as  Waki- 
yama,  Akama,  and  Yamada,  come  OA^er  here  to  preach. 


CHRISTIAN  CONVERTS. 


387 


The  police  do  not  offer  any  opposition,  but  they  say 
that  “ the  people  no  longer  care  to  hear  about  God.” 
“It  is  my  fault,”  Yamada  said;  “I  have  no  power; 
hundreds  used  to  come  to  hear  when  the  way  was  new, 
where  only  tens  come  now.”  I asked  if  the  Buddhist 
or  Shinto  priests  oppose,  and  they  said  that  they  do 
not,  but  that  the  people,  though  mostly  tired  of  the  old 
religions,  do  not  want  a new  one.  They  were  evidently 
very  superior  young  men,  but  their  English  was  verj 
imperfect,  and  Ito,  who  hates  Christians,  professed  to 
be  altogether  absorbed  with  stewing  some  apricots,  and 
would  not  come  and  interpret.  Afterwards  he  called 
me  to  look  at  the  “ Christian  play,”  about  100  people 
listening  to  a very  animated  address  from  Akama.  I 
was  quite  interested  in  seeing  them,  but  I now  care  far 
too  little  about  seeing  Europeans  to  take  the  added 
journey  to  Hirosaki  to  see  their  teacher. 

Kuroishi  differs  from  most  of  the  small  towns  in 
being  on  rather  an  elevated  plateau  overlooking  the 
great  plain  of  Iwakisan,  a sea  of  rice,  with  islands  of 
wooded  villages.  Nidi,  Owani,  Yakushida,  Onoy^,  Naka- 
nowa,  Kashiwagimachi,  and  many  others.  There  was 
a small  castle,  but  it  is  destroyed,  and  the  rampart,  now 
a pleasant  walk  for  the  townspeople,  has  a magnificent 
view  of  the  mountains  and  the  rich  plain,  over  which 
great  cloud-shadows  were  passing  in  deep  indigo  colour- 
ing. Another  unusual  feature  is  a number  of  square 
covered  platforms  on  scaffold  poles  twenty  and  twenty 
five  feet  high,  to  which  people  carry  their  bedding  on 
very  hot  nights,  to  be  out  of  the  way  of  mosquitoes. 

I visited  several  Buddhist  temples,  all  shabby  and  not 
over  clean,  much  disfigured  with  grotesque  and  gaudily- 
painted  idols,  one  containing  Binzuru,  a medicine  god 
of  much  repute  for  the  cure  of  diseases,  a dark-red  fig- 
ure with  crossed  legs. 


888 


UNBEATEN  TRACES  IN  JAPAN. 


Tlie  superstitions  of  Northern  Japan  are  endless.  1 
have  been  gathering  them  all  the  way,  and  could  fill 
several  sheets  with  them.  The  people  are  not  unwil- 
ling to  communicate  them  either,  but  Tto  laughs  at 
them,  yet  wears  a charm  all  the  same.  Every  one 
wears  charms ; there  is  no  town  in  which  charm-bags 
are  not  sold,  and  in  Tolciyfi  the  sliops  which  sell  little 
or  nothing  else  are  quite  a feature  in  some  of  the 
streets.  These  bags  are  all  prices,  from  50  seyi  to  5 
yen,  and  are  usually  of  scarlet  cloth,  embroidered  in 
gold  and  silks.  Women  carry  their  amulets  in  an 
unsuspected  girdle  specially  made  for  them,  and  which 
they  never  part  with  for  a moment,  except  in  the  bath, 
either  by  day  or  night.  To  drop  the  amulet  is  a sign 
of  speedy  death.  The  practice  is  so  universal  that  Ito 
is  asked  at  every  yadoya  what  charm  I wear,  and  how 
I wear  it.  Some  of  the  older  women  wear  such  a num- 
ber that  they  make  quite  a hump  under  the  girdle. 
Girls  and  children  carry  gay  charm-pouches  suspended 
from  their  waists.  In  some  of  the  northern  villages 
the  charm  is  sewn  into  the  stiff  pad  upon  which  the 
chignon  is  formed ! 

Men  very  generally  wear  an  amulet  from  Isd,  the 
cradle  of  Shintoism.  Bettos  and  many  coolies  wear 
them  round  their  necks,  but  middle-class  men  hide 
them  in  their  tobacco-pouches  or  sleeves.  These  amu- 
lets frequently  have  nothing  but  the  name  of  a god 
upon  them,  or  a word  or  two  of  the  Buddhist  Scrip- 
tures. 

Small  Buddhist  idols  in  cases  are  frequently  carried 
in  the  sleeve,  and  the  rice-farmers  often  use  the  same 
receptacle  for  little  images  of  the  fox,  the  emblem 
of  Inari,  their  special  god.  INIany  of  the  charms  are 
minute  figures  of  different  divinities  or  holy  persons, 
sewn  into  minute  bags,  and  supposed  to  possess  special 


POPULAR  SUPERSTITIONS. 


38P 


powers.  Thus  figures  of  the  famous  saints  Nichiren 
and  Kobodaishi  carry  their  wearers  safely  to  Paradise 
Benten,  the  Japanese  Venus,  gives  girls  beauty  and 
attractiveness;  another  divinity  protects  from  snakes, 
of  which  all  Japanese  women  have  the  utmost  dread; 
another  from  the  machinations  of  the  fox ; another 
gives  good  luck ; another  saves  from  drowning  and 
accident;  another  bestows  the  gift  of  children,  and 
makes  them  loA^eable ; and  so  on  infinitely.  These 
amulets  and  figures  are  originally  obtained  from  the 
temples,  and  are  a source  of  revenue  to  the  priests. 
In  the  rice-fields  of  late  I have  constantly  seen  sticks 
with  papers  inscribed  with  characters  dangling  from 
them.  These  are  charms  against  a worm,  and  are 
obtained  from  the  temples.  Most  of  the  horses  in 
Akita  and  Aomori  Icen  wear  charms  suspended  from 
their  necks. 

The  Buddhist  priests  sustain  and  foster  all  supersti- 
tions which  they  can  turn  to  a profitable  account.  A 
rag  rubbed  upon  the  medicine  god  and  conveyed  to  a 
sick  person  is,  under  some  circumstances,  supposed  to 
have  the  same  effect  as  a personal  application.  The 
amulet  which  saves  from  drowning  is  a certain  cure  for 
choking,  if  courageously  swallowed.  Certain  supersti- 
tions govern  the  building  of  houses.  Thus  it  is  lucky 
to  place  the  kura  on  the  north-east  side,  the  door  to  the 
south-east,  and  the  cupboards  on  the  south-west.  In 
sleeping,  the  head  must  on  no  account  be  turned  to  the 
north,  because  that  is  the  position  of  a corpse  after 
death  ; and  cold  water  must  always  be  poured  into  the 
warm  water  in  a vessel,  not  warm  into  cold,  because  in 
washing  the  dead  the  latter  plan  is  adopted.  It  is  very 
unlucky  to  use  chopsticks  of  which  one  is  bamboo  and 
the  other  wood,  because  the  tongs  used  to  collect  the 
ashes  in  the  cremation  grounds  are  made  in  this  fash 
ion. 


390 


UNBEATEN  TRACKS  IN  JAPAN. 


Ghosts  are  as  much  believed  in  in  Japan  as  au}  where 
else,  and  they  are  not  limited  to  apparitions  of  human 
beings,  for  the  she-badger  and  the  fox  love  to  disport 
themselves  after  their  departure  from  the  body.  Foxes 
play  practical  jokes,  and  steal  away  people’s  senses, 
and  nearly  always  assume  the  shapes  of  beautiful 
women.  The  fox  always  follows  his  victims,  who  aie 
usually  men ; while  the  badger  always  goes  before 
hers,  who  are  usually  women  befooled  by  her  in  the 
guise  of  loveable  young  men.  A lover,  thinking  of 
the  girl  he  loved  as  he  passes  her  grave,  is  followed 
from  the  cemetery  by  a woman  of  great  beauty  carry- 
ing a lantern,  but  she  is  seen  by  a third  person  only  as 
a hideous  skeleton.  Ghosts  can  be  raised  in  various 
ways,  some  of  which  are  like  disused  Hallowe’en  prac- 
tices. One  way  is  to  put  into  the  andon  a hundred 
rushlights,  and  repeat  an  incantation  of  a hundred 
lines.  One  of  the  rushlights  is  taken  out  at  the  end 
of  each  line,  and  the  would-be  ghost-seer  then  goes  out 
in  the  dark  with  one  light  still  burnmg,  and  blows  it 
out,  when  the  ghost  ought  to  appear.  Girls  who  have 
lost  their  lovers  bj  death  sometimes  try  this  sorcery. 
The  Japanese  are  terribly  afraid  of  darkness ; the 
poorest  people  keep  a lamp  burning  aU  night.  In 
these  regions  they  will  not  walk  along  the  roads  after 
dark  unless  in  companies.  I have  been  compelled  to 
make  an  early  halt  several  times  because  the  rti/igc 
would  not  for  double  pay  encounter  the  supernatural 
risks  to  be  met  with  in  returning  at  night.  At  Shingoji 
1 was  awoke  by  a great  disturbance  because  a bald- 
pated  monster  with  goggle  eyes  and  a tongue  hanging 
out  of  his  mouth  had  looked  over  the  folding-screens,  a 
trick  he  often  plays.  The  ghosts  of  suicides  haunt  the 
scene  of  self-destruction,  speciallj-  if  it  be  a well. 

Spiritualism,  as  a mode  of  raising  ghosts,  has  been 


SPIRITUALISM. 


391 


long  practised  in  Japan.  At  Innai  I saw  a woman  (the 
mediums  are  always  women)  going  into  a house  to 
practise  her  craft.  A father  wished  to  know  whether 
his  son,  who  was  ill  of  kaFke,  would  recover.  The 
mediums  always  carry  a small  box  put  up  in  a bundle 
of  peculiar  shape,  and  a light  bark  hat,  not  on  the  head, 
but  in  the  hand.  The  contents  of  the  box,  if  it  has 
any,  are  known  only  to  its  possessor.  Some  say  it 
contains  the  head  of  a dog  which  has  been  buried  ali  , e 
up  to  its  neck,  and  has  died  of  thirst.  The  medium 
sits  down  with  the  box  in  front  of  her,  and  twangs  the 
string  of  a small  bow  ceaselessly  on  the  lid.  The 
inquirer  sits  opposite  to  her,  and  she  throws  water 
towards  him  out  of  a small  cup.  If  it  is  a departed 
spirit  which  is  to  be  summoned,  a leaf  from  a grave- 
yard bouquet  is  used  to  splash  the  water ; if  the  spirit 
of  a living  person,  a bit  of  stick.  The  only  question 
which  the  medium  puts  to  the  inquirer  is  whether  he 
wishes  to  interview  the  living  or  the  dead.  In  this 
instance  of  spiritualism  at  Innai,  where  Ito  was  pres- 
ent, a departed  spirit  was  called.  An  incantation  is 
said,  and  then  the  spirit  speaks  with  the  medium’s 
voice.  Ito  (sceptic  as  he  is)  confessed  that  when  at 
Niigata  he  went  to  a medium  to  ask  the  spirit  of  his 
dead  father  whether  he  would  get  safely  through  this 
journey  through  the  interior. 

Among  the  many  ghosts  in  which  junkmen  believe, 
there  is  one  malignant  fellow  who  comes  to  them  very 
politely  and  asks  to  borrow  a dipper.  The  answer 
involves  the  exercise  of  much  discrimination,  for  if  a 
dipper  with  a bottom  is  courteously  bestowed  upon 
him,  he  uses  it  to  bale  water  enough  to  swamp  the 
junk,  but  if  the  bottom  be  hastily  knocked  out,  and 
the  dipper  be  thrown  to  him,  he  disappears ; but  in  tins 
last  case,  unless  the  act  be  accompanied  by  an  incanta- 


392 


UNBEATEN  TRACES  IN  JAPAN. 


tion,  the  ghost  turns  into  a sea  kappa.,  a many-clawed 
monster,  powerful  enough  to  drag  the  junk  to  the  hot 
tom.  fn  Minato  I saw  in  a small  temple  a god  hung 
over  with  offerings  made  by  sailois  in  the  belief  that 
he  can  protect  them  from  the  ghost  of  the  dipper. 

I suppose  that  the  common  household  superstitionii 
are  believed  by  all  women  and  by  most  men  of  the  lower 
classes,  though  “Young  Japan"  affects  to  laugh  at 
them.  Probably  many  of  them  are  local,  as  some,  for 
instance,  which  were  believed  at  Nikkd  are  unknown 
here.  One  that  I have  met  with  everyw'here  is  that 
those  who  throw  clippings  of  nails  or  liair  into  the 
kamado  or  irori  are  in  danger  of  disaster ; and  another, 
that  no  word  containing  the  syllable  shi,  one  meaning 
of  which  is  death,  must  be  used  on  New  Year’s  Day. 

Some  of  the  superstitions  are  amusing.  People 
always  leave  their  clogs  in  the  doma  on  entering  a 
house,  and  it  is  believed  that  if  you  burn  a moxa  on  the 
back  of  those  of  a tedious  visitor,  it  will  rid  you  of  him. 
Purple  or  violet  must  not  be  worn  at  a marriage  either 
by  bride  or  bridegi’oom,  lest  divorce  should  come  speed- 
ily, as  these  of  all  colours  fade  the  soonest.  To  break 
the  thong  of  a clog  in  front  while  walking  is  a sign  of 
evil  to  the  wearer’s  enemies,  if  at  the  back,  to  himself. 
Salt,  as  with  us,  has  much  mysterious  significance.  It 
must  not  be  bought  at  night,  and  when  purchased  dur- 
ing the  day,  a little  of  it  must  be  thrown  into  the  fire 
to  prevent  misfortune  and  family  quarrels.  It  is  also 
sprinkled  about  the  threshold  after  a funeral. 

A fisherman,  if  he  meets  a priest  on  the  road,  will 
not  catch  any  fish  that  day. 

Conflagrations  are  frequent,  and  in  many  places  the 
signs  which  portend  them  are  carefully  watched. 
Among  these  are  a dog  climbing  on  the  roof  of  a house 
a weasel  crying  once,  and  a cock  croAving  in  the  morn 


OMENS  AND  DREAMS. 


398 


mg.  To  avert  the  evil  a person  must  take  a dipper  in 
his  left  hand,  and  pour  out  three  dippersful  of  water. 

Many  superstitions  appear  general  among  the  people 
of  the  north.  If  a stalk  of  tea  falls  into  the  teacup, 
and  stands  upright  for  a second,  a visitor  is  expected 
from  the  direction  in  wliich  it  falls.  To  pour  tea  out  of 
the  teapot  in  an  absent  fit  in  any  way  but  by  the  spout 
is  a sign  of  the  approach  of  a priest.  The  shadow  of 
a bird  on  the  paper  window  is  a sure  sign  of  a visitor. 
These  are  so  firmly  believed  in  here  that  if  any  one  of 
tliem  happens  the  girls  add  some  little  adornment  to 
their  hair. 

To  break  the  chopsticks  while  eating  is  a sign  of 
death.  The  north-east  is  a quarter  in  which  special  evil 
abides,  and  few  people  would  build  a house  fronting 
that  direction,  lest  destruction  should  come  upon  it.  It 
is  not  possible  to  induce  young  girls  to  pour  tea  over  a 
bowl  of  “ red  rice,”  as,  if  they  did  so,  the  marriage-day 
would  be  rainy.  Few  people  will  put  on  new  clothes 
or  sandals  after  5 p.m.  for  fear  of  bringing  bad  luck. 
If  a young  man  lights  his  pipe  at  the  andon  instead  of 
the  lubachi,  he  will  not  get  a good  wife.  For  children 
to  eat  the  charred  rice  which  sometimes  remains  at  the 
bottom  of  the  rice-pot  is  to  ensure  their  marriage  to 
persons  scarred  with  small-pox.  When  small-pox  is 
epidemic,  a charm  against  the  malady  is  for  a person  to 
write  a notice  on  the  front  of  his  house  that  his  children 
are  absent.  A young  child  is  not  allowed  to  look  into 
a mirror,  in  the  belief  that  if  it  sees  its  infant  face  and 
grows  up  to  be  married  its  first  offspring  will  be  twins. 

Yesterday  I saw  one  of  the  servants  burying  a tooth 
wliich  had  just  been  extracted,  and  found  that  it  is  a 
popular  belief  that  a new  tooth  will  grow  in  the  socket, 
if  the  old  one,  if  from  the  lower  jaw,  is  thrown  upon  a 
house  roof,  and  if  from  the  upper,  is  bui’ied  as  nearly  as 


394 


UNBEATEN  TRACKS  IN  JAR  AN. 


possible  under  the  foundation.  In  tbe  farming  villages 
open  wells  are  covered  during  an  eclipse  of  tbe  sun  oi 
moon,  in  tbe  bebef  that  poison  drops  from  tbe  sky  at 
that  time.  I saw  tbis  done  at  Sliirasawa  a few  days 
ago. 

Of  course  dreams  are  regarded  as  of  great  impor- 
mice,  as  tbe  soul,  in  tbe  form  of  a black  ball,  is  sup- 
[,osed  to  leave  tbe  body  durnig  sleep  and  go  off  on 
vaiious  errands.  People  bave  a great  dread  of  waking 
others  suddenly,  lest  death  should  be  caused  by  tbe 
soul  not  having  time  to  return  to  tbe  body  from  its 
possibly  distant  jjeregrinations.  Dreams,  as  with  us, 
are  frequently  supposed  to  go  b}^  contraries.  Thus,  it 
is  lucky  to  dream  of  being  stabbed,  or  of  losing  money ; 
but  if  you  dream  of  finding  money,  you  are  nearly  sure 
to  come  to  beggary.  But  to  dream  of  riches  with  a 
picture  of  Daikoku  purchased  at  a temple  under  tbe 
head,  on  tbe  day  of  tbe  Rat,  one  of  tbe  Japanese  signs 
of  the  zodiac,  is  certain  to  bring  an  accession  of  fortune 
witbm  a j'ear.  People  also  put  pictures  of  tbe  fabled 
treasure-ship  under  their  heads  on  tbe  night  of  tbe 
second  day  of  tbe  first  month,  in  the  hope  of  dreaming 
of  it,  which  is  a nearly  certain  sign  of  coming  wealth. 

Tlie  superstitions  connected  uitb  love  are  endless. 
One  is  akin  to  those  practised  in  England  and  Ger- 
many. A girl  drops  a long  bab-pin  from  her  bead  into 
tbe  tatami,  and  counts  tbe  straws  from  it  to  tbe  borne  r 
— one,  yes ; two,  no,  and  so  on  — and  so  divines  her 
lover’s  faithfulness  or  its  opposite. 

Wherever  Sbintfi  prevails  there  are  sacred  trees, 
whose  sacredness  is  denoted  by  a cbcle  of  rice-straw 
rope  with  straw  tassels  at  intervals,  and  it  is  bebeved 
that  tbe  gods  ■will  visit  with  tbeb  vengeance  those  by 
or  for  whom  they  are  desecrated.  One  of  tbe  darkest 
superstitions  of  Japan  is  intunately  connected  with 


LOVE  AND  REVENGE. 


B95 


these.  I have  before  mentioned  that  disappointments 
in  love  often  occasion  suicide,  but  on  some  occasions 
they  drive  the  disappointed  maiden  to  seek  revenge 
with  the  help  of  the  gods.  Having  made  a rude  shape 
of  straw,  which  represents  the  faithless  lover,  she  re- 
pairs, “at  the  hour  of  the  ox,”  two  m the  morning,  to 
A sluine  in  a wood  with  the  eflBgy  and  a hammer  and 
nails  in  her  hands,  and  nails  the  straw  man  to  the  sacred 
tree,  asking  the  gods,  as  she  does  so,  to  impvite  the  dese- 
cration to  her  lov'^er,  and  revenge  her  on  him.  Tins 
visit  is  repeated  at  the  same  hour  for  several  successive 
nights,  till  the  object  of  vengeance  fails  and  dies ! 1 

have  seen  such  a tree  with  the  straw  effigy  of  a man 
nailed  upon  it  — a token  of  sorrow  and  passion,  of  the 
family  resemblance  of  heart  to  heart  in  all  ages  and 
lands,  and  of  the  jealousy  which  in  Japan  as  elsewhere 
is  “ cruel  as  the  grave.” 

These  are  a mere  random  selection  from  the  hundreds 
of  superstitious  beliefs  which  I have  noted  down  since 
I left  Tokiyo.  Many  of  them  liav^e  already  faded  from 
the  cities,  and  in  many  parts  of  Southern  Japan  are 
spoken  of  mei’ely  in  jest ; but  among  the  primitive  peo- 
ple of  the  north  they  still  hold  their  old  swaj'  and  ex 
ercise  their  old  terror.  I.  L.  B. 


396 


UNBEATEN  TRACKS  IN  JAPAN. 


PRIMITIVE  SIMPLICITY. 

A Travelling  Curiosity  — Kude  Dwellings  — Primitive  Simplicity  — 
The  Public  Bath-house — Solemn  Queries  — The  “Few  Stripes” 
— A Trembling  Hope. 

Kukoishi. 

Yesterday  was  beautiful,  and  dispensing  for  the  first 
time  with  Ito’s  attendance,  I took  a kuruma  for  the  day, 
and  had  a very  pleasant  excursion  into  a cul  de  sac  in 
the  moimtains.  The  one  drawback  was  the  infamous 
road,  which  compelled  me  either  to  walk  or  be  merci- 
lessly jolted.  The  runner  was  a nice,  kind,  merry 
creature,  quite  delighted,  Tto  said,  to  have  a chance  of 
carrying  so  great  a sight  as  a foreigner  into  a district  in 
which  no  foreigner  has  ever  been  seen.  In  the  absolute 
security  of  Japanese  travelling,  which  I have  fully 
realised  for  a long  time,  I look  back  upon  my  fears  at 
Kasukabe,  with  a feeling  of  self-contempt. 

The  scenery,  which  was  extremely  pretty,  gained 
everything  from  sunlight  and  colour,  wonderful  shades 
of  cobalt  and  indigo,  green  blues  and  blue  greens,  and 
flashes  of  white  foam  in  unsuspected  rifts.  It  looked  a 
simple,  home-like  region,  a very  pleasant  land. 

We  passed  through  several  Aullages  of  farmers  who 
live  in  very  primitive  habitations,  built  of  mud,  looking 
as  if  the  mud  had  been  dabbed  upon  the  framework 
with  the  hands.  The  walls  sloped  slightly  inwmrds,  the 
thatch  was  rude,  the  eaves  w^ere  deep  and  covered  all 
manner  of  lumber ; there  was  a smoke-hole  in  a few 


RUBE  DWELLINGS. 


397 


but  the  majority  smoked  all  over  like  brick-kilns  > the}' 
had  no  windows,  and  the  walls  and  rafters  were  black 
and  shiny.  Fowls  and  horses  live  on  one  side  of  the 
dark  interior,  and  the  people  on  the  other.  The  houses 
were  alive  with  unclothed  children,  and  as  I repassctl 
in  the  evening  unclothed  men  and  women,  nude  to  their 
waists,  were  sitting  outside  their  dwellings  with  the 


.AKITA  FARM-HOUSE. 


small  fry,  clothed  only  in  amulets,  about  them,  several 
big  yellow  dogs  forming  part  of  each  family  group,  and 
the  faces  of  dogs,  children,  and  people  were  all  placidly 
contented ! These  farmers  owned  many  good  horses, 
and  their  crops  were  splendid.  Probably  on  matsuri 
days  all  appear  in  fine  clothes  taken  from  ample  hoards. 
They  cannot  be  so  poor,  as  far  as  the  necessaries  of  life 
are  concerned,  they  are  only  very  “far  back.”  The} 


398 


UNBEATEN  TBACKS  IN  JAPAE. 


know  nothing  better,  and  are  contented ; but  tiieit 
houses  are  as  bad  as  any  that  I have  ever  seen,  and  the 
simplicity  of  Eden  is  combined  with  an  amount  of  dirt 
which  makes  me  sceptical  as  to  the  performance  of  even 
weekly  ablutions. 

Upper  Nakano  is  very  beautiful,  and  in  the  autiunn, 
when  its  myriads  of  star-leaved  maples  are  scarlet  and 
ciimson,  against  a dark  background  of  cryptomeria, 
among  which  a great  wliite  waterfall  gleams  like  a 
snow-drift  before  it  leaps  into  the  black  pool  below,  it 
must  be  well  worth  a long  journe3^  J have  not  seen 
anything  which  has  pleased  me  more.  There  is  a fine 
flight  of  moss-grown  stone  steps  down  to  the  water,  a 
pretty  bridge,  two  superb  stone  torii^  some  handsome 
stone  lanterns,  and  then  a grand  flight  of  steep  stone 
steps  up  a hill-side  dark  with  cryptomeria,  leads  to  a 
small  Shinto  shrine.  Not  far 'off  there  is  a sacred  tree, 
with  the  token  of  love  and  revenge  upon  it,  which  I 
mentioned  in  the  notes  on  superstitions  in  my  last 
letter.  The  whole  place  is  entrancing. 

Lower  Nakano,  which  I could  only  reach  on  foot,  is 
only  interesting  as  possessing  some  very  hot  springs, 
which  are  valuable  in  cases  of  rheumatism  and  sore  eyes. 
It  consists  mainly  of  tea-houses  and  yadoyas^  and  seemed 
rather  gay.  It  is  built  round  the  edge  of  an  oblong 
depression,  at  the  bottom  of  which  the  bath-houses 
stand,  of  which  there  are  four,  only  nominalh*  sepa- 
rated, and  with  but  two  entrances,  which  open  directly 
upon  the  bathers.  In  the  two  end  houses  women  anJ 
children  were  bathing  in  large  tanks,  and  in  the  centre 
one;  women  and  men  were  bathing  together,  but  at 
opposite  sides,  with  wooden  ledges  to  sit  upon  all  round. 
I followed  the  Tcuruma  runner  blindly  to  the  baths,  and 
when  once  in,  I had  to  go  out  at  the  other  side,  being 
pressed  upon  by  people  from  behind;  but  the  bathers 


THE  PUBLIC  BATH-HOUSE. 


399 


were  too  polite  to  take  any  notice  of  my  most  unwilling 
intrusion,  and  the  Tcuruma  runner  took  me  in  without 
the  slightest  sense  of  impropriety  in  so  doing.  T noticed 
that  formal  politeness  prevailed  in  the  bath-house  as 
elsewhere,  and  that  dippers  and  towels  were  handed 
from  one  to  another  with  profound  bows.  The  pub- 
lic bath-house  is  said  to  be  the  place  in  which  public 
opinion  is  formed,  as  it  is  with  us  in  clubs  and  public- 
houses,  and  that  the  presence  of  women  prevents  any 
dangerous  or  seditious  consequences ; but  the  Govern- 
ment is  doing  its  best  to  prevent  promiscuous  bathing ; 
and  though  the  reform  may  travel  slowly  into  these 
remote  regions,  it  will  doubtless  arrive  sooner  or  later. 
The  public  bath-house  is  one  of  the  features  of  Japan. 

Many  solemn  queries  arise  in  this  heathen  land,  which 
either  do  not  occur,  or  occur  with  far  less  force,  at  home ; 
and  in  my  solitary  ride  they  come  up  continually.  Did 
the  “one  Father”  make  the  salvation  of  millions  of 
His  heathen  offspring  depend  upon  the  tardiness  of  a 
niggard  and  selfish  Church,  selfish  and  niggard  both  as 
to  men  and  money  ? Did  our  Lord  and  Saviour  Christ 
mean  eternal  perdition  — a horror  past  human  concep- 
tion— by  the  mild  term,  “few  stripes”?  Was  His 
death  on  Calvary  an  atonement  or  reconciliation  for  an 
elect  few,  or  “a  full,  perfect,  and  sufficient  sacrifice, 
oblation,  and  satisfaction  for  the  sins  of  the  whole 
world  ” ? Is  He  the  High  Priest  of  a limited  few,  or  is 
He  at  “ the  right  hand  of  God,”  to  make  an  endless 
intercession  for  the  “ whole  world,”  for  which  He  died, 
“ that  in  the  fulness  of  time  He  may  gather  together  all 
things  in  one,”  so  that  “ as  in  Adam  all  die,  even  so  in 
Christ  shall  all  be  made  alive  ” ? Are  not  “the  heathen 
His  inheritance,”  and  His  redeemed  “ a multitude  which 
no  man  can  number,  of  all  nations  ” ? 

Such  and  many  similar  questions  must  suggest  them- 


400 


UNBEATEN  TBACKS  IN  JAPAN. 


selves  to  any  one  living  among  these  people,  leammg 
their  simple  virtues  and  simple  vices,  and  how  kind  the 
heart  is  which  beats  under  the  straw  cloak  of  the  culti- 
vator, realising  all  the  time  how  few  out  of  these  thirty- 
four  millions  have  heard  of  Christ,  and  that  of  those 
few  the  most  have  seen  His  precepts  systematically 
violated  ia  the  lives  of  His  followers.  Shall  not  the 
J udge  of  all  the  earth  do  right  ? ” Can  we  not  trust 
our  brethren,  who  “ are  also  His  offspring,”  to  the  in- 
finite compassion  of  Him  “ who  spared  not  His  own  Son, 
but  delivered  Him  up  for  us  all,”  and  cling  tremblingly, 
as  befits  our  ignorance,  to  the  hope  that  when  the  work 
of  the  “ few  stripes  ” is  done,  these  shall  be  redeemed 
from  evil,  and  shall  be  gathered  together,  with  all  the 
wandering  children,  into  our  “Father’s  house  of  many 
mansions  ” ? These  remarks  may  seem  a digression  ; but 
such  questions  are  forced  upon  me  ever}’  hour  of  every 
day.^  I.  L.  B. 

‘ I leave  these  sentences  as  they  stood  in  my  letter  ; but,  lest  they 
should  he  supposed  to  be  written  in  disparagement  of  mission  work,  or 
doubt  of  its  necessity,  I reiterate  the  belief  expressed  in  the  chapter  on 
Kiigata  Missions,  that  our  Lord’s  parting  command  concerning  the  pro- 
mulgation of  His  gospel  is  binding  on  all  His  followers  until  the  world’s 
end,  and  that  hopes  and  speculations  as  to  the  ultimate  destiny  of  the 
heathen  have  no  bearing  at  all  upon  the  positive  duty  oi  the  Church,  ot 
indeed  any  practical  bearing  of  any  kind. 


AN  OVERTURN. 


401 


END  OF  THE  JOURNEY. 

A.  hard  Day' s Journey  — An  Overturn  — Nearing  the  Ocean  — Joytul 
Excitement  — Universal  Greyness  — Inopportune  Policemen  — A 
Stormy  Voyage — A wild  Welcome  — A Windy  Landing — The 
Journey’s  End. 

Hakodate!,  Tbzo,  August  12,  1878. 

The  journey  from  Kuroishi  to  Aomori,  though  only 
22i  miles,  was  a tremendous  one,  owing  to  the  state 
of  the  roads  ; for  more  rain  had  fallen,  and  the  passage  of 
hundreds  of  pack-horses  heavily  loaded  with  salt-fish  had 
turned  the  tracks  into  quagmires.  At  the  end  of  the 
first  stage  the  Transport  Office  declined  to  furnish  a 
kuruma.,  owing  to  the  state  of  the  roads ; but  as  I was 
not  well  enough  to  ride  farther,  I bribed  two  men  for  a 
very  moderate  sum  to  take  me  to  the  coast ; and  by  ac- 
commodating each  other,  we  got  on  tolerably,  though  I 
had  to  walk  up  all  the  hills  and  down  many,  to  get  out 
at  every  place  where  a little  bridge  had  been  carried 
away,  that  the  kurama  might  he  lifted  over  the  gap,  and 
often  to  walk  for  200  yards  at  a time,  because  it  sank  up 
to  its  axles  in  the  quagmire.  In  spite  of  all  precautions, 
I was  upset  into  a muddy  ditch,  with  the  kuruma  on  the 
top  of  me  ; hut  as  my  air-pillow  fortunately  fell  between 
the  wheel  and  me,  I escaped  with  nothing  worse  than 
having  my  clothes  soaked  with  water  and  mud,  which, 
as  I had  to  keep  them  on  all  night,  might  have  given  me 
cold,  but  did  not.  We  met  strings  of  pack-horses  the 
whole  way,  carrying  salt-fish,  which  is  taken  throughout 
the  interior. 


402 


UNBEATEN  TRACKS  IN  JAPAN. 


The  mountaiu-ridge,  which  runs  throughout  the  Main 
Island,  becomes  depressed  in  the  province  of  Nambu, 
but  rises  again  into  grand,  abrupt  hills  at  Aomori  Bay. 
Between  Kuroishi  and  Aomori,  however,  it  is  broken  up 
into  low  ranges,  scantily  wooded,  mainly  with  pine, 
scrub  oak,  and  the  dwarf  bamboo.  The  Sesamum 
ignosoo.,  of  which  the  incense  sticks  are  made,  covers 
some  hills  to  the  exclusion  of  all  else.  Rice  grows  in 
the  valleys,  but  there  is  not  much  cultivation,  and  the 
country  looks  rough,  cold,  and  hyperborean. 

The  farming  hamlets  grew  worse  and  worse,  with 
houses  made  roughly  of  mud,  with  holes  scratched  in 
the  side  for  light  to  get  in,  or  for  smoke  to  get  out,  and 
the  walls  of  some  were  only  great  pieces  of  bark  and 
bundles  of  straw  tied  to  the  posts  Avith  straw  ropes. 
The  roofs  were  untidy,  but  this  was  often  concealed  by 
the  profuse  growth  of  the  water-melons  Avhich  trailed 
over  them.  The  people  were  very  dirty,  but  there  was 
no  appearance  of  special  poverty,  and  a good  deal  of 
money  must  be  made  on  the  horses  and  mago  required 
for  the  transit  of  fish  from  Yezo,  and  for  rice  to  it. 

At  Namioka  occurred  the  last  of  the  very  numerous 
ridges  we  have  crossed  since  leaving  Rikkd  at  a point 
called  Tsugarusaka,  and  from  it  looked  over  a rugged 
country,  upon  a dark-grey  sea,  nearly  landlocked  by 
pine-clothed  hills,  of  a rich  purple  indigo  colour.  The 
clouds  were  drifting,  the  colour  was  intensifying,  the  air 
was  fresh  and  cold,  the  surrounding  soil  was  peaty,  the 
odours  of  pines  were  balsamic,  it  looked,  felt,  and  smelt 
like  home ; the  gi’ey  sea  was  Aomori  Bay,  beyond  was 
the  Tsugaru  Strait, — my  long  land-journey  was  done. 
A traveller  said  a steamer  was  sailing  for  Yezo  at  night, 
so,  in  a state  of  jojilul  excitement,  I engaged  four  men, 
and  by  di’agging,  pushing,  and  lifting,  they  got  me  intc 
Aomori,  a town  of  grey  houses,  grey  roofs,  and  grej 


INOPPORTUNE  POLICEMEN. 


403 


stones  on  roofs,  built  on  a beach  of  grey  sand,  round  a 
grey  bay  — a miserable-looking  place,  though  the  capi- 
tal of  the  \en. 

It  has  a great  export  trade  in  cattle  and  rice  to  Yezo, 
besides  being  the  outlet  of  an  immense  annual  emigra- 
tion  from  Northern  Japan  to  the  Yezo  fishery,  and  im- 
ports from  Hakodat(^  large  quantities  of  fish,  skins,  and 
foreign  merchandise.  It  has  some  trade  in  a pretty  but 
not  valuable  “ seaweed  ” or  variegated  lacquer,  called 
Aomori  lacquer,  but  not  actually  made  there,  its  own 
specialty  being  a sweetmeat  made  of  beans  and  sugar. 
It  has  a deep  and  well-protected  harbour,  but  no  piers 
or  conveniences  for  trade.  It  has  barracks  and  the 
usual  Government  buildings,  but  there  was  no  time  to 
learn  anything  about  it,  — only  a short  half-hour  for 
getting  my  ticket  at  the  Mitsu  Bishi  office,  where  they 
demanded  and  copied  my  passport ; for  snatching  a 
morsel  of  fish  at  a restaurant  where  “ foreign  food  ” was 
represented  by  a very  dirty  table-cloth ; and  for  running 
down  to  the  grey  beach,  where  I was  carried  into  a 
large  sampan.,  crowded  with  Japanese  steerage  passen- 
gers. 

The  wind  was  rising,  a considerable  surf  was  running, 
the  spray  was  flying  over  the  boat,  the  steamer  had  her 
steam  up,  and  was  ringing  and  whistling  impatiently, 
there  was  a scud  of  rain,  and  I was  standing,  trying  to 
keep  my  paper  waterproof  from  being  blown  off,  when 
three  inopportune  policemen  jumped  into  the  boat  and 
demanded  my  passport.  For  a moment  I wished  them 
and  the  passport  under  the  waves ! The  steamer  is  a 
little  old  paddle-boat  of  about  70  tons,  with  no  accom- 
modation but  a single  cabin  on  deck.  She  was  as  clean 
and  trim  as  a yacht,  and,  like  a yacht,  totally  unfit  for 
bad  weather.  Her  captain,  engineers,  and  crew  were 
all  Japanese,  and  not  a word  of  English  was  spoken 


404 


UNBEATEN  TRACKS  IN  JAB  AN. 


My  clothes  were  very  wet,  and  the  night  was  colder 
than  the  day  had  been,  but  the  captain  kindly  covered 
me  np  with  several  blankets  on  the  floor,  so  I did  not 
suffer.  We  sailed  early  in  the  evening,  with  a brisk 
northerly  breeze,  which  chopped  round  to  the  south-east, 
and  by  eleven  blew  a gale ; the  sea  ran  high,  the  steamer 
laboured  and  shipped  several  heavy  seas,  much  water 
entered  the  cabin,  the  captain  came  below  every  half- 
hour,  tapped  the  barometer,  sipped  some  tea,  offered  me 
a lump  of  sugar,  and  made  a face  and  gesture  indicative 
of  bad  weather,  and  we  were  buffeted  about  mercilessly 
till  4 A.M.,  when  heavy  rain  came  on,  and  the  gale  fell 
temporarily  with  it.  The  boat  is  not  fit  for  a night  pas- 
sage, and  always  lies  in  port  when  bad  weather  is  ex- 
pected, and  as  this  was  said  to  be  the  severest  gale  which 
has  swept  the  Tsugaru  Strait  since  January,  the  captain 
was  uneasy  about  her,  but  being  so,  showed  as  much 
calmness  as  if  he  had  been  a Briton  ! 

The  gale  rose  again  after  sunrise,  and  when,  after 
doing  sixty  miles  in  fourteen  hours,  we  reached , the 
heads  of  Hakodate  Harbour,  it  was  blowing  and  pour- 
ing like  a bad  day  in  Argyllshire,  the  spin-drift  was 
driving  over  the  bay,  the  Yezo  mountains  loomed 
darkly  and  loftily  through  rain  and  mist,  and  wind  and 
thunder,  and  “ noises  of  the  northern  sea,”  gave  me  a 
wild  welcome  to  these  northern  shores.  A rocky  head 
like  Gibraltar,  a cold-blooded-looking  grey  town,  strag 
gling  up  a steep  hill-side,  a few  conifer ce,  a great  many 
grey  junks,  a few  steamers  and  vessels  of  foreign  rig  at 
anchor,  a number  of  sampans  riding  the  rough  water 
easily,  seen  in  flashes  between  gusts  of  rain  and  spin- 
drift, were  all  I saw,  but  somehow  it  all  pleased  me 
from  its  breezy,  northern  look. 

The  steamer  was  not  expected  in  the  gale,  so  no  one 
met  me,  and  I went  ashore  with  fifty  Japanese  clustered 


TEE  JOURNEY'S  END. 


405 


Oil  the  top  of  a decked  sampan,  in  such  a storm  of  wind 
and  rain  that  it  took  us  1 J hour  to  go  half  a mile ; then 
I waited  shelterless  on  the  windy  beach  till  the  Cus* 
toms’  Officers  were  roused  from  their  late  slumbers, 
and  then  battled  with  the  storm  for  a mile  up  a steep 
hill.  I was  expected  at  the  hospital  Consulate,  but  did 
not  know  it,  and  came  here  to  the  Church  Mission 
House,  to  which  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Dening  kindly  invited 
me  when  I met  them  in  TokiyO.  I was  unfit  to  enter  a 
civilised  dwelling;  my  clothes,  besides  being  soaked, 
were  coated  and  splashed  with  mud  up  to  the  top  of 
my  hat ; my  gloves  and  boots  were  finished,  my  mud- 
splashed  baggage  was  soaked  with  salt  water;  but  I 
feel  a somewhat  legitimate  triumph  at  having  con- 
quered all  obstacles,  and  having  accomplished  more 
than  I intended  to  accomplish  when  I left  Yedo. 

How  musical  the  clamour  of  the  northern  ocean  is  i 
How  inspiriting  the  shrieking  and  howling  of  the  bois- 
terous wind ! Even  the  fierce  pelting  of  the  rain  is 
home-like,  and  the  cold  in  which  one  shivers  is  stimu- 
lating ! You  cannot  imagine  the  delight  of  being  in  a 
room  with  a door  that  will  lock,  to  be  in  a bed  instead 
of  on  a stretcher,  of  finding  twenty-three  letters  con- 
taining good  news,  and  of  being  able  to  read  them  in 
warmth  and  quietness  under  the  roof  of  an  English 
homel  1.  L.  B. 


406 


TmBEATEN  TRACKS  IN  JAPAN. 


ITINERARY  OF  ROUTE  FROM  NHGATA  TO  AOMORI 


Ko.  of  Houses. 

m. 

CK6. 

Kisaki  . . . 

56 

4 

Tsuiji  . . . 

209 

6 

Kiirokawa  . . 

215 

2 

12 

Hanadati  . . 

20 

2 

Kawaguchi  . . 

27 

3 

Numa  . . . 

24 

1 

18 

Tamagawa  . . 

40 

3 

Okuni  . . . 

210 

2 

11 

Kurosawa  . . 

17 

1 

18 

Ichinono  . . . 

20 

1 

18 

Shirokasawa 

42 

1 

21 

Tenoko  . . . 

120 

3 

11 

Komatsu . . . 

513 

2 

13 

Akayu  . . . 

350 

4 

Kaminoyama  . 

5 

Yamagata  . 

3 

19 

Tendo  . . . 

. . . . 1,040 

3 

8 

Tateoka  . . . 

307 

3 

21 

Tochiida  . . . 

217 

1 

33 

Obanasawa  . . 

506 

1 

21 

Ashizawa 

70 

1 

21 

Shinjo  . . . 

. . . . 1,060 

4 

6 

Kanayama  . . 

165 

3 

27 

Nosoki  . . . 

37 

3 

9 

Innai  .... 

257 

3 

12 

Yusawa  . . . 

....  1,506 

3 

35 

Yokote  . . . 

....  2,070 

4 

27 

Rckugo  . . . 

....  1,062 

6 

Carry  forward 

88 

1 

ITINERABY. 


407 


No.  of  Houses. 

Brought  forward 

m. 

88 

Ch6. 

1 

Shingoji  . . 

. 209 

1 

28 

Kubota  . . . 

36,587  souls 

16 

Minato  . . . 

2,108 

1 

28 

Abukawa  . . 

. 163 

3 

33 

Ichi  Nichi  Ichi  . 

. 306 

1 

34 

Kado  .... 

. 151 

2 

9 

Hinikoyama 

. 396 

2 

9 

Tsugurata  . . 

. 186 

1 

14 

Tubiud  . . . 

. 153 

1 

18 

Kiriishi  . . . 

. 31 

1 

14 

Kotsunagi  . . 

. 47 

1 

16 

Tsuguriko  . . 

. 136 

3 

5 

Odate  .... 

1,673 

4 

23 

Shirasawa  . 

. 71 

2 

19 

Ikarigaseki  . . 

. 175 

4 

18 

Kuroishi  . . . 

1,176 

6 

19 

Daishaka  . . 

. 43 

4 

Shin  jo  . . . 

. 51 

2 

21 

Aomori  . . . 

1 

24 

Ri  147 

31 

About  368  miles. 


This  is  considerably  under  the  actual  distance,  as  on  several  ol 
the  mountain  routes  the  ri  is  56  cho,  but  in  the  lack  of  accurate 
information  the  ri  has  been  taken  at  its  ordinary  standard  of  3fl 
eho  throughout. 


BND  OF  TOL.  1. 


! 


k 


AINOS  OF  VEZO. 


Frontispikce,  Vot..  II. 


UNBEATEN  TRACKS  IN  JAPAN 


AN  ACCOUNT  OF 


TRAVELS  ON  HORSEBACK  IN  THE  INTERIOR 


INCLUDING 


V'ISITS  TO  THE  ABORIGINES  OF  YEZO  AND  THE  SHRINES 
OF  NIKKO  AND  ISE 


By  ISABELLA  L.  BIRD 

ADTHOK  OP  ‘ A LADY’S  LIFE  IN  THE  RCJCKY  MOUNTAINS  ’ ‘ SIX 
MONTHS  IN  THE  SANDWICH  ISLANDS  ’ 

ETC.  ETC. 


IN  TWO  VOLUMES.  — VOL.  II. 


WITH  MAP  AND  ILLUSTRATIONS 


NEW  YORK 

G.  P.  PUTNAM’S  SONS 

27  AND  29  West  23D  Street 


CONTENTS  OF  VOL.  II. 


YEZO. 

Physical  Characteristics  — The  Colonisation  Department  — 
The  New  Capital  — The  Fisheries  — Hakodate  — A Vigi- 
lant Police  — The  “ Hairy  Ainos  ’ ’ — Tezo  Fascinations  . 


THE  MISSION  WORK. 

Form  and  Colour  — A Windy  Capital  — Eccentricities  in 
House  Roofs  — Social  Dulness  — Mission  Agencies  — A 
Disorderly  Service  — Daily  Preaching  — A Buddhist  Tem- 
ple — A Buddhist  Sermon 


HAKODATE. 

Ito’s  Delinquency  — “Missionary  Manners” — A Predicted 
Failure  — A Japanese  Doctor  — The  Hakodate  Hospital 
— The  Prison  — Prison  Amenities  — Chrysanthemum  Cul- 
ture — The  Bon  Festival  — A Holiday-making  Crowd 


A CHANGE  OF  SCENERY. 

k Lovely  Sunset  — An  Official  Letter  — A “Front  Horse” 
— Japanese  Courtesy  — Sedentary  Amusements  — The 
Steam  Ferry  — Coolies  Abscond  — A Team  of  Savages  — 
A Drive  of  Horses  — Floral  Beauties  — An  Unbeaten 
Track  — A Ghostly  Dwelling  — Solitude  and  Eeriness 

V 


PiM 

1-10 


11-19 


20-26 


27-45 


VI 


CONTENTS. 


A MEETING. 

The  Hannon  ics  of  Nature  — A Good  Horse  — A Single  Dis- 
cord— A Forest — Aino  Ferrymen  — “ies  Puces  I Les 
Puces  I ^ — Baffled  Explorers — Ito’s  Contempt  for  Ainos 
— An  Aino  Introduction 


LIVING  WITH  THE  AINOS. 

Savage  Life  — A Forest  Track — Cleanly  Villages  — A Hos- 
pitable Reception  — The  Chief’s  Mother  — The  Evening 
Meal  — A Savage  Seance  — Libations  to  the  Gods  — Noc- 
turnal Silence  — Aino  Courtesy  — The  Chiefs  Wife  . 


AINO  HOSPITALITY. 

A Supposed  Act  of  Worship  — Parental  Tenderness  — Morn- 
ing Visits — Wretched  Cultivation  — Honesty  and  Gener- 
osity — A “ Dug-out  ” — Female  Occupations  — The 
Ancient  Fate  — A New  Arrival  — A Perilous  Prescrip- 
tion — The  Shrine  of  Toshitsund — The  Chiefs  Return  . 


SAVAGE  LIFE. 

Bjurenness  of  Savage  Life  — Irreclaimable  Savages  — The 
Aino  Physique  — Female  Comeliness  — Torture  and  Or- 
nament— Child  Life — Docility  and  Obedience 


COSTUME  AND  CUSTOMS. 

Aino  Clothing  — Holiday  Dress — Domestic  Architecture  — 
Household  Gods — Japanese  Curios  — The  Necessaries  of 
Life  — Clay  Soup  — Arrow  Poison  — Arrow  Traps  — Fe- 
male Occupations  — Bark  Cloth  — The  Art  of  Weaving  . 


RELIGION  OF  AINOS. 

A Simple  Nature  Worship  — Aino  Gods  — A Festival  Song 
— Religious  Intoxication  — Bear  Worship  — The  Annual 
Saturnalia  — The  Future  State  — Marriage  and  Divorce  — 
Musical  Instruments  — Etiquette  — The  Chieftainship  — 
Death  and  Burial  — Old  Age  — Moral  Qualities 


46^0 


6(M)] 


62-73 


74-82 


83-95 


96-110 


CONTIJNTS. 


A TIPSY  SCENE. 

A Parting  Gift  — A Delicacy  — Generosity  — A Seaside  Vil- 
lage — Pipichari’s  Advice  — A Drunken  Eevel  — Ito’s 
Prophecies  — The  Kocho’s  Illness  — Patent  Medicines 

VISIT  TO  A VOLCANO. 

A Welcome  Gift  — Recent  Changes  — Volcanic  Phenomena 

— Interesting  Tufa  Cones  — An  Aggressive  Trailer  — 
Semi-strangulation  — A Fall  into  a Bear-trap  — The 
Shiradi  Ainos  — Horsebreaking  and  Cruelty 

A WET  TRIP. 

The  Universal  Language  — The  Yezo  Corrals  — A “Ty- 
phoon Rain” — Difficult  Tracks  — An  Unenviable  Ride 
— Drying  Clothes  — A Woman’s  Remorse  . 

A SURPRISE. 

“More  than  Peace” — Geographical  Difficulties  — Usu-taki 

— A Garden  Region  — Svrimming  the  Osharu  — A Dream 

of  Beauty  — A Sunset  Effect  — A Nocturnal  Alarm  — 
The  Coast  Ainos 


SOLITUDE. 

The  Sea-shore  — A “Hairy  Aino”  — A Horse  Fight  — The 
Horses  of  Yezo  — “Bad  Mountains” — A Slight  Accident 
— Magnificent  Scenery  — A Bleached  Halting-Place  — A 
Musty  Room — Aino  “ Good-breeding  ” . . . . 


THE  MISSING  LINK. 

A Group  of  Fathers  — The  Lebungd  Ainos  — The  Salisburia 
adiantifolia  — A Family  Group  — The  Missing  Link  — 
Oshamambd  — A Horse  Fight  — The  River  Yurapu  — The 
Seaside  — Sagacity  of  Crows  — Outwitting  a Dog  — Aino 
Canoes  — The  Volcano  of  Komono-taki  — The  last  Morn- 
lug — Dodging  Europeans 


Ill- 114 


116-1*^4 


125-128 


129-137 


138-144 


145-15fi 


IriNEBABT  OF  TOUE  IN  YkZO 


167 


nu 


CONTENTS. 


JAPANESE  PROGRESS. 

A Dubious  Climate  — Missionary  Ardour  — A Political  Move 
— An  Opinion  on  the  Government  — “Squeezes”  — Lack 
of  Perseverance  — A J apanese  Ironclad  — Realities  of 
Progress 


COMPLIMENTS. 

Pleasant  Last  Impressions  — The  Japanese  Junk  — Ito  Dis- 
appears — My  Letter  of  Thanks  — Official  Letters  — A 
Servant’s  Epistle  — Japanese  Epistolary  Style  . 


A CYCLONE. 

Pleasant  Prospects  — A Miserable  Disappointment  — Caught 
in  a Typhoon  — A Dense  Fog  — Alarmist  Rumours  — A 
Welcome  at  Tokiyo  — The  Last  of  the  Mutineers 

NOTES  ON  t6kIY6. 

A Metamorphosis — “Magnificent  Distances” — Climate  — 
The  Castle  — The  Official  Quarter  — The  “Feudal  Man- 
sions of  Yedo” — Commercial  Activity  — The  Canals  — 
Streets  and  Shop  Signs  — Street  Names  .... 


MODERN  INSTITUTIONS. 

The  Cemeteries  — Cremation  — Sharp  Criticism  — Stereo- 
typed Ideas  — Modern  Constructive  Art  — The  College  of 
Engineering  — Principal  Dyer  — The  Telegraph  Depart- 
ment — The  Foreign  Residents  — Forms  of  Flattery  — The 
Flower  Festa  — A Memory  of  Fuji  — Costly  Entertain- 
ments— The  Brain  of  New  Japan 


A JAPANESE  CONCERT. 

A “Dirty  Sky”  — “Rags” — Mr.  Mori  — A Ministerial 
Entertainment  — The  “ Shiba  Pavilion” — An  Amateur 
Orchestra  — The  Japanese  W.ogner  — An  Aristocratic 
Belle  — A Juvenile  Danseuse  — An  Agonising  Mystery  — 
The  “ Dead  March  ” in  Saul — Japanese  Music — Musical 
Instruments  — Lady  Parkes 


16S-163 


164^168 


169-170 


171-187 


188-208 


206-218 


CONTENTS. 


A MISSIONARY  CENTRE. 

The  Hiroshima  Maru  — A Picturesque  Fishing  Fleet— A 
Kind  Reception — A Mission  Centre  — A Model  Settle- 
ment— The  Native  Town — Foreign  Trade  — The  Girls’ 
Home  — Bible  Classes  — The  First  Christian  Newspaper 

— Defects  in  Mission  Schools  — Manners  and  Etiquette 

— “ Missionary  Manners  ” — The  Truth  Foreshadowed  — 

Separation  in  Foreign  Society  — A Vow  . . . . 


THE  KIYOTO  COLLEGE. 

Mountain-girdled  Kiyoto  — Third-class  Travelling  — The 
Home  of  Art  — The  Kiyoto  College  — Captain  Jayne  — 
Mr.  Davis — The  Curriculum  — Philosophical  Ardour  — 
Discussions  and  Difficulties  — Total  Abstinence  — The 
First  Christian  Pastor  — Japanese  Impressions  of  Scotland 

— Increased  Demand  for  the  Christian  Scriptures 

THE  MONTO  SECT. 

The  Protestants  of  Buddhism  — The  “English-Speaking” 
Priest  — The  Nishi-Honguwanji  Temple  — A Monto  Al- 
tar — Nirvana  — Hiddyoshi’s  Summer  Palace  — Metemp- 
sychosis — Buddha  as  a Democrat  — The  Prospects  of 
Christianity  — The  Priest’s  Estimate  of  Belief  in  England 

— The  Conflict  of  Opinion  in  Japan  — A Question  . 

ARTISTIC  TASTES. 

Kiyoto  Shopping  — Artistic  Patterns  — Solitude  in  Decora- 
tion — A Japanese  Etagere  — Honest  Work  — Vitiation 
of  Japanese  Art  — Kiyoto  Brocades  — The  Board  of  In- 
dustries— The  New  Hospital 

UJI. 

Hugging  a Eibachi  — A Japanese  “Institution” — Indus- 
trious Poverty  — Uji  Tea-houses  — Tea-maldng  — Our 
First  Evening  — Nara — A Treasury  of  Antiquities — A 
Row  of  Petitioners  — Inappropriate  Travelling  Gear  — 
A Shrine  of  Pilgrimage  — An  Ancient  Monastery  — A 
Trudge  through  Mud  — Higenashi  — Mushroom  Culture 
— Roughing  it  — The  High  Road  — A Rubbing  Stone 


217-228 


229-241 


242-253 


254-269 


260-277 


CONTENTS. 


X 


THK  TSE  SHRINES. 

'*  The  Divine  Palaces  of  the  most  holy  gods  of  Is6  ” — Sane* 
tity  of  the  Is4  Shrines  — The  Kami-dana  — The  Is^ 
Charms  — The  Geku  Camphor  Groves  — The  Temple 
Grounds  — The  Sacred  Enclosure  — The  Shrines  — The 
“Holy  of  Holies”  — The  Japanese  Regalia  — The  Shintd 
Mirror 


ANOTHER  PILGRIMAGE. 

A Dreary  Shrine — The  Legend  of  Futami-sama — A Double 
Temple  — A Street  of  Shops  — The  Naiku  Shrine  — Even- 
ing Shadows  — The  Melancholy  of  Shinto — Unsanctified 
Pilgrim  Resorts 


LAKE  BIWA. 

My  Karuma-runner  — Stupid  Curiosity  — The  City  of  Tsu  — 
A Buddhist  Temple  — Road  Mending — The  Pass  of 
Tsuzaka  — The  Tokaido  — Lake  Biwa  — The  “Temper- 
ance Pledge  ” — A Matsuri 

Itineeahy  of  Route  fbom  KiYfixo  to  Yamaha  (Shbutes 
OF  Ise),  and  by  Tsu  to  Kiyoto  .... 


PROSPECTS  OF  CHRISTIANITY. 

Water-Ways  in  Osaka  — Glimpses  of  Domestic  Life  — La- 
dies’ Pets  — The  Position  of  Women  — Imperial  Example 

— The  Medical  Mission — A Japanese  Benevolent  Insti- 
tution — A Comfortless  Arrival  — A Christian  Gathering 

— The  Prison  at  Otsu  — Prospects  of  Christianity  — 

Blankness  of  Heathenism 


CREMATION. 

Fine  Weather  — Cremation  in  Japan  — The  Governor  of 
Tdkiyo  — An  Awkward  Question  — An  Insignificant 
Building  — Economy  in  Funeral  Expenses  — Simplicity 
of  the  Cremation  Process  — The  Last  of  Japan  . 


278-286 


286-289 


290-300 

SOI 


302-314 


315-319 


CONTENTS. 


XI 


JAPANESE  PUBLIC  AFFAIRS. 

The  Old  Regime  — The  End  of  Feudalism  — The  Oath  of 
Progress  — The  New  Government  — The  Army,  Navy, 
and  Police  — The  Post-Office  — Railroads  and  Telegraphs 
— The  Mercantile  Marine — The  Mint  — The  Currency  — 

The  Newspaper  Press  — The  Penal  Code  — The  Educa- 
tional System  — Finance  and  Taxation  — The  National 
Debt  — Foreign  Trade  — Conclusion 320-36'J 

APPENDIX. 

A.  — Aino  Words  taken  down  at  Bibatobi  ajtd  Usu, 

Yezo 359-362 

B.  — Notes  on  Shinto 363-372 

C.  — Tables  of  the  Estimated  Revenue  and  Expend  r. 

tube  fob  the  Financial  Tear  1879-80  . . 373-379 

D.  — Fobbisn  Trade 380-383 

In»x , 386-3^ 


LIST  OF  ILLUSTEATIONS 


A.1N0S  OF  Tezo Frontispiece 

FASB 

Axn'o  Store-House  at  Hoeobets 37 

Aiko  Lodges.  From  a Japanese  Sketch  ....  3S 

Amo  Houses 60 

Amos  at  Home.  From  a Japanese  Sketch.  ...  61 

Amo  Millet-Mill  and  Pestle 66 

Shinondi  and  Shinkichi 68 

Aino  Store-House 66 

An  Aino  Patriarch 77 

Tattooed  Female  Hand 79 

Aino  Gods 87 

Pla-n  of  an  Aino  House 90 

Weaver’s  Shuttle 93 

Entrance  to  Shrine  of  Seventh  Shogun,  Shir  a, 

Tokito 183 

A Hiogo  Buddha 221 

The  Rokkukado 231 

My  Kuruma-Eunner 266 

Temple  Gateway  at  Isshinden 293 

A Lake  Biwa  Tea-House 295 

Tomoye 297 

Fujisan,  from  a Village  on  the  TokaldO  . . . 318 

zili 


YEZO. 


Physical  Characteristics  — The  Colonisation  Department  — The  New 

Capital — The  Fisheries  — Hakodate  — A Vigilant  Police  — The 

“Hairy  Ainos ” — Yezo  Fascinations. 

Separated  from  the  main  island  of  Japan  by  the 
Tsngaru  Strait,  and  from  Saghalien  by  the  narrow  strait 
of  La  Perouse,  in  shape  an  irregular  triangle,  extending 
from  long.  139°  50'  E.  to  long.  146°  E.,  and  from  lat. 
41°  30'  N.  to  lat.  45°  30'  N.,  its  most  northern  point  con- 
siderably south  of  the  Land’s  End,  Yezo  has  a climate 
of  singular  severity,  a heavy  snowfall,  and,  in  its  north- 
ern parts,  a Siberian  winter.  Its  area  is  35,739  square 
miles,  or  considerably  larger  than  that  of  Ireland,  while 
its  estimated  population  is  only  123,000.  The  island  is 
a mountain  mass,  with  plains  well  grassed  and  watered. 
Impenetrable  jungles  and  impassable  swamps  cover 
much  of  its  area.  It  has  several  active  volcanoes,  and 
the  quietude  of  some  of  its  apparently  extinct  ones  is 
not  to  be  relied  upon.  Its  forests  and  swamps  are 
drained  by  innumerable  short,  rapid  rivers,  which  are 
subject  to  violent  freshets.  In  riding  round  the  coast 
they  are  encountered  every  two  or  three  miles,  and  often 
detain  the  traveller  for  days  on  their  margins.  The 
largest  is  the  Ishkari,  famous  for  salmon. 

The  coast  has  few  safe  harbours,  and  though  exempt 
from  typhoons,  is  swept  by  heavy  gales  and  a continuous 
surf.  The  cultivated  land  is  mainly  in  the  neighbour- 


o 


UNBEATEN  TRACKS  IN  JAPAN. 


hood  of  the  sea,  with  the  exception  of  the  extensive 
plain  around  Satsuporo.  The  interior  is  forest-covered, 
and  the  supplies  of  valuable  lumber  are  nearly  inex- 
haustible, and  include  thirty-six  kinds  of  useful  timbei 
trees.  Openings  in  the  forest  are  heavily  grassed  with 
the  Eulalia  Japonica,  a grass  higher  than  the  head  of  a 
man  on  horseback ; and  the  forest  itself  is  rendered 
impassable,  not  only  by  a dense  growth  of  the  tough 
and  rigid  dwarf  bamboo,  which  attains  a height  of 
eight  feet,  but  by  ropes  and  nooses  of  various  vines, 
lianas  in  truth,  wliich  grow  profusely  everywhere.  The 
soil  is  usually  rich,  and  the  summer  being  warm  is 
favourable  to  the  growth  of  most  cereals  and  root  crops. 
The  climate  is  not  well  suited  to  rice,  but  wheat  ripens 
everywhere.  Most  of  the  crops  which  grow  in  the 
northern  part  of  the  main  island  flourish  in  Yezo,  and 
English  fruit-trees  succeed  better  than  in  any  part  of 
Japan.  I never  saw  flner  crops  anywhere  than  in 
Mombets  on  Volcano  Bay.  Cleared  land,  from  the 
richness  of  the  soil  formed  by  vegetable  decomposition, 
is  fitted  to  produce  crops  as  in  America,  for  twenty 
years  without  manuring,  and  a regular  and  sufficient 
rainfall,  as  in  England,  obviates  the  necessity  for  irriga- 
tion. 

The  chief  mineral  wealth  of  Yezo  is  in  its  coalfields, 
but  the  Government  is  jealous  of  the  introduction  of 
foreign  capital,  and  till  the  embargo  is  removed,  it  is 
unlikel}^  that  this  source  of  wealth  will  be  utilised  on  a 
large  scale,  and  much  of  the  money  appropriated  for 
the  developement  of  mines  is  frittered  away  by  official 
“squeezes”  en  route.  But  this  coal  may  eventually 
turn  out  of  great  importance  to  the  world.  Mr.  L^nnan. 
the  able  head  of  the  Geologic.al  Survey,  estimates  the 
quantity  of  coal  in  the  Yezo  coalfields  at  one  hundred 
and  fifty  thousand  million  tons;  in  other  words,  that 


THE  “DEVELOPMENT  DEPARTMENT:’ 


3 


Yezo  could  yield  the  present  annual  product  of  Great 
Britain  for  a thousand  years  to  come  ! ! ! 

The  official  name  of  Yezo  is  the  Hokl-aido  or  North- 
ern Sea  Circuit,  and  owing  to  various  circumstances, 
actual  and  imaginary,  it  is  under  a separate  department 
of  the  Government  called  the  Colonisation  Department, 
known  as  the  Kaitakushi,  or,  as  we  should  say,  the  “ De- 
velopment Department.”  This  deirartment  has  spent 
enormous  sums  upon  Yezo,  some  of  which  have  been 
sunk  in  unprofitable  and  costly  experiments,  while 
others  bear  fruit  in  productive  improvements.  The  ap- 
propriation of  this  year  is  over  £302,000.  The  island 
differs  so  much  in  its  general  featiires  and  natural  prod- 
ucts from  the  rest  of  Japan,  that  it  is  exempt  from  the 
ordinary  taxes,  and  is  subject  to  special  imposts  on 
produce,  which  bring  in  a revenue  of  about  £72,000 
annually,  a large  sum  to  be  paid  by  a small  population. 

Satsnporo,  on  the  Ishkari  River,  is  the  creation  of 
this  Department.  The  chief  and  most  hopeful  of  its 
operations  there  is  an  Agricultural  College  on  the 
model  of  the  Massachusetts  Agricultural  College,  under 
native  direction,  but  with  a staff  of  four  able  American 
professors.  Its  graduation  course  is  four  years,  and  the 
number  of  students  is  limited  to  sixt}".  It  gives  a sound 
English  education,  with  special  attention  to  surveying 
and  civil  engineering,  as  required  for  the  construction 
of  ordinary  roads,  railroads,  drainage  and  irrigation 
works,  and  such  thorough  instruction  in  agriculture  and 
horticulture  as  is  required  by  the  necessities  of  farming 
in  Yezo.  There  are  model  farms  both  at  Satsuporo  and 
Nanai,  near  Hakodate,  and  nursery  gardens  for  exotic 
trees,  vegetables,  and  flowers.  The  department  is  in- 
troducing sheep  and  pigs,  and  by  importing  blood  stock 
is  endeavouring  to  improve  the  breed  of  horses  and 
cattle.  At  Satsuporo  it  has  extensive  sawmills,  a silk 


i UNBEATEN  TJIACKS  IN  JAPAN. 

factory,  a tannery,  and  a brewery,  and  large  flour  mills 
both  there  and  at  Nanai. 

It  would  be  uninteresting  to  gi-ve  a list  of  all  which 
the  KaitaJcusM  has  attempted  for  the  development  of 
Yezo.  Many  of  its  schemes  have  proved  utterly  abor- 
tive, and  some  which  still  exist  are  not  carried  out 
with  the  completeness  and  perseverance  necessary  for 
success.  Its  funds  are  undoubtedly  eaten  up  by  su- 
perfluous officials,  who  draw  salaries  and  perpetrate 
“squeezes,”  and  do  little  besides  smoke  and  talk. 
Roads  are  much  needed.  The  broad  road  from  Hako- 
date to  Satsuporo,  on  which  much  money  is  always 
being  expended,  is  in  a permanently  wretched  state, 
and  is  mainly  available  for  long  strings  of  pack-horses, 
whose  deep  cross  ruts  had  not  disappeared  even  in  Sep- 
tember ; and  the  steam-ferry  of  twenty-five  miles  on 
this  main  road  is  carried  on  by  a steamer  whose  extreme 
speed  is  five  miles  an  hour,  and  whose  boilers,  to  use 
the  expresv>ive  native  phrase,  are  constantly  “ sick.” 
The  theories  of  “ development  ” are  very  good ; mis- 
takes have  been  and  are  being  made ; some  valuable 
practical  measures  are  neglected  in  favour  of  Utopian 
experiments,  and  some  good  results  are  being  attained. 

The  Government  is  supposed  to  have  two  objects  iu 
view  in  developing  Yezo.  One  is  to  provide  a field  for 
emigration  for  the  inhabitants  of  those  parts  of  Japan 
which  are  supposed  to  be  over-populated,  and  the  other, 
by  building  up  a popidation  in  Yezo,  to  erect  a sort  of 
bulwark  against  aggressive  designs  which  are  supposed 
to  be  entertained  by  Russia,  a power  which  is  as  much 
distrusted  in  Japan  as  in  England.  Colonies  have  been 
settled  in  several  favourable  regions ; grants  of  land 
have  been  made  to  a great  many  samurai.,  and  at  Satsu- 
poro nearly  1000  soldiers  are  settled  with  their  families 
in  detached  houses,  each  with  several  acres  of  land 


SALMON  FISHERIES. 


5 


seeds  and  fruit-trees  are  sold  to  settlers  at  a very  low 
price,  and  many  agricultural  advantages  are  provided 
which  do  not  exist  on  the  main  island ; but  still,  either 
from  a natural  disinclination  to  emigrate,  or  from  a 
dread  of  the  taxes  imposed  on  produce,  the  Sokkaida 
fails  to  attract  a population,  and  a region  which  could 
support  six  millions  has  a scattered  sprinkling,  and  tlrat 
mainly  round  the  coasts,  of  only  123,000  souls. 

The  fisheries  of  Yezo  are  magnificent,  and  rival  those 
of  the  opposite  coast  of  Oregon ; but  they  are  overtaxed, 
the  tax  levied  being  from  10  to  25  per  cent  on  the  yield. 
Salmon  is  the  specialty,  but  cuttle-fish,  seaweed,  and 
heche.  de  mer  are  also  important  articles  of  export.  There 
are  many  fishing  stations  on  the  southern  coast,  but  the 
most  important  are  at  Ishkari  in  the  north,  near  Satsu- 
poro,  the  new  capital.  The  salmon-fishing  there  is  one 
of  the  sights  of  Japan.  Some  of  the  seines  are  4000 
feet  in  length,  and  require  seventy  men  to  work  them. 
A pair  of  such,  making  three  hauls  a day,  sometimes 
catch  20,000  salmon,  averaging,  when  cured,  10  lbs.  each. 
The  revenue  from  the  fisheries  of  the  Ishkari  river  alone 
is  $50,000  annually.  Yezo  fish  is  not  only  sent  through- 
out the  interior  of  Japan,  but  is  shipped  to  China.  The 
Ainos,  the  aborigines  of  the  island,  are  largely  employed 
in  the  fishing,  and  an  immense  number  of  emigrants 
from  the  provinces  of  Nambu  and  Ugo  resort  to  Yezo 
for  the  fishing  season. 

Hakodat(i,  the  northern  Treaty  Port,  a flourishing  city 
of  37,000  people,  is  naturally  the  capital,  with  its  deep 
and  magnificent  harbour  well  sheltered  in  all  winds. 
Situated  on  a gravelly  hill-slope,  with  a sunny  exposure 
and  splendid  natural  drainage,  it  is  fitted  to  recruit  en- 
ergies which  have  been  exhausted  by  the  damp  heat  of 
Yokohama  and  TokiyO.  Though  it  has  occasionally  nine 
inches  of  snow  on  tlie  ground  in  November,  the  snow 


6 


UNBEATEN  TRACKS  IN  JAPAN. 


fall  is  not  excessive,  as  it  is  in  the  north  of  the  island  , 
it  does  not  lie  permanently  on  the  ground,  and  there  are 
many  sunny  winter  days,  so  many,  indeed,  that  the 
slush  is  worse  than  the  snow.  It  has  a mean  annual 
temperature  of  about  10°  below  that  of  Yedo,  but  the 
range  in  the  direction  of  cold  is  much  greater.  The 
minimum  is  2°,  and  the  maximum  88°.  The  nights,  even 
in  hot  weather,  are  nearly  always  cool.  In  a period  of 
nine  years  the  annual  rainfall  has  averaged  51.9  inches, 
and  the  average  number  of  rain  days  is  about  98. 

Hakodate  is  annually  falling  away  as  a foreign  port. 
In  fact,  its  foreign  trade  is  reduced  to  nothing.  It  has 
only  two  foreign  firms,  and  its  foreign  residents,  exclu- 
sive of  Chinese,  only  number  37.  If  it  were  not  for 
the  number  of  ships  of  war  which  visit  it  every  sum- 
mer, and  for  the  arrival  of  a few  visitors  in  impaired 
health,  it  would  be  nearly  as  dull  as  Niigata.  But  as  a 
Japanese  port  it  is  an  increasingly  thriving  place.  It  is 
unprofitable  for  foreign  vessels  to  come  so  far  to  this 
one  point,  now  that  Japanese  steamers,  which  can  trade 
at  all  ports,  are  so  numerous.  Foreign  merchandise  is 
now  imported  by  Japanese  merchants  in  Japanese  ships, 
and  the  chief  articles  of  export  — dried  fish,  seaweed, 
and  skins  — are  sent  dii’ect  to  China  and  the  main 
island  in  native  vessels.  Fine  passenger  steamers  of  the 
Mitsu  Bishi  Company  run  between  Hakodate  and  Yoko- 
hama every  ten  days,  and  to  Niigata  once  a month, 
besides  cargo  boats,  and  junks  and  native  vessels  of 
foreign  rig  arrive  and  depart  in  numbers  with  every 
fair  wind. 

Tlie  Government  buildings  are  extensive,  and  the 
hospital  and  prisons  are  under  admirable  native  manage- 
ment. Remote  as  Hakodate  is,  it  does  not  seem  to  me 
to  be  behind  any  city  of  its  size  in  enterprise,  general 
comfort,  cleanliness,  and  good  order.  The  Kaitakushi 


A VIGILANT  POLICE. 


7 


has  seventeen  schools  in  the  city,  in  which  the  pupih 
are  taiight  reading,  writing,  and  arithmetic  up  to  trac- 
tions, along  with  universal  history  and  geography  ; be- 
sides which  there  are  numbers  of  private  schools,  which 
only  teach  reading  and  writing.  Some  of  the  shop- 
keepers, in  a most  enlightened  sph'it,  have  established 
an  evening  school  for  apprentices  and  assistants  between 
twelve  and  eighteen,  who  are  engaged  during  the  day, 
and  the  fees  for  all  these  schools  are  moderate. 

The  Post  Office  and  Custom  House  are  efficiently 
managed  by  Japanese  officials,  in  conformity  with  for- 
eign usages ; and  though  the  Judicial  Department 
gives  little  satisfaction,  the  police  are  so  efficient  that 
H.B.M.’s  Consul  officially  reports  that  “no  thief  or 
criminal  can  escape  the  vigilance  of  tlie  authorities!” 
Japanese  ship-carpenters  are  designing  and  turning  out 
small  schooners  of  foreign  rig,  and  Japanese  merchants 
import  foreign  goods,  such  as  clothing,  provisions,  hard- 
ware, crockery,  glass,  fancy  goods,  and  alcoholic  liquors, 
to  such  an  extent  that  the  absence  of  a foreign  store  is 
scarcely  felt. 

Such  are  some  of  the  signs  of  progress  in  a city 
which,  when  Mr.  Alcock  visited  it  in  1859  to  instal  the 
British  Consul,  had  a population  of  only  6000  people, 
and  was  only  resorted  to  by  a few  whalers  ! 

It  is  the  centre  of  missionary  operations  for  the  island ; 
and  at  present  the  Greeks,  Romanists,  Church  Mission- 
ary Society,  and  American  Methodist  Episcopal  Church, 
have  agents  there,  limited,  of  course,  to  the  treaty  dis- 
tance of  twenty-five  miles,  unless  they  obtain  travelling 
passports  under  the  ordinary  regulations. 

Besides  Hakodate,  there  are  only  two  towns  of  any 
importance  — Matsumae,  a decayed  place  of  about 
16,000  people,  formerly  the  residence  of  a very  power- 
ful daimiyd;  and  Satsuporo,  the  capital,  a town  of  3000 


8 


UNBEATEN  TRACKS  IN  JAPAN. 


people,  laid  out  on  the  plan  of  an  American  city,  with 
wide,  rectangular  streets,  lined  by  low  Japanese  houses 
and  shops,  and  tasteless,  detached,  frame  houses.  The 
American  idea  is  further  suggested  by  the  Kaitakushi 
offices  with  a capitol  copied  from  the  capitol  at  Wash- 
ington. Besides  the  Government  Buildings  and  those 
which  have  been  previously  mentioned,  there  is  a hos- 
pital under  the  charge  of  an  American  doctor. 

Near  Satsuporo  are  several  agricultural  settlements, 
and  the  experiments  there  and  elsewhere  on  the  island 
prove  that  though  the  winter  is  long  and  severe,  the 
climate  and  soil  are  specially  favourable  for  winter  wheat, 
maize,  millet,  buckwheat,  potatoes,  pease,  beans,  and 
other  vegetables  and  cereals,  as  well  as  for  Japanese 
hemp,  which  commands  a high  price,  owing  to  the  length, 
fineness,  and  silkiness  of  its  fibre.  Thousands  of  acres 
of  well-watered  grass-land  lie  utterly  useless  in  the 
neighbourhood  of  Satsuporo  on  the  Ishkari  river. 

Wild  animals  and  game  in  large  numbers  have  their 
home  in  the  impenetrable  forests  of  the  interior.  In 
the  Hakodat<i  market,  at  different  seasons  of  the  year, 
are  to  be  bought  at  moderate  prices,  grouse,  hares,  quad, 
snipe,  teal,  venison,  woodcock,  wild  duck,  and  bear , 
and  bear-furs  and  deer-skins  are  among  the  important 
articles  of  export. 

The  chief  object  of  interest  to  the  traveller  is  the 
remnant  of  the  Aino  race,  the  aborigines  of  Yezo,  and 
not  improbably  of  the  whole  of  Japan,  peaceable  sav- 
ages, who  live  on  the  coasts  and  in  the  interior  by  fish- 
ing and  hunting,  and  stand  in  the  same  relation  to  their 
Japanese  subjugators  as  the  Red  Indians  to  the  Ameri- 
cans, the  Jakkoons  to  the  Malays,  and  the  Yeddas  to 
the  Sinhalese.  In  truth,  it  must  be  added  that  they 
receive  better  treatment  from  their  masters  than  is 
accorded  to  any  of  these  subject  races.  The  Letters 


THE  “HAIRY  AINOS.^' 


9 


which  follow  contam  all  that  I could  learn  about  them 
from  actual  observation,  but  Mr.  Yasuda  Sadanori,  First 
Secretary  of  the  Kaitakushi  Department,  has  supplied 
a few  additional  facts  at  the  request  of  Sir  Harry 
Parkes : — 

“A  rough  census  of  the  Ainos  made  in  1873  gives 
their  numbers  at  — 

Males  . . . 6118 

Females  . . . 6163 


Total  . . 12,281 

Since  that  year  no  separate  census  has  been  made,  bul 
the  Ainos  are  believed  to  be  decreasing  in  number. 

“As  regards  taxes,  they  pay  partly  in  money  and 
partly  in  kind. 

“ The  education  law  of  the  Ministry  of  Public  In- 
struction does  not  apply  to  the  Hokkaido,  but  a similar 
system  has  been  adopted  by  the  Kaitakushi  Department, 
and  is  applied  to  all  inhabitants  of  the  island  without 
distinction  of  origin,  the  object  of  the  Imperial  Govern- 
ment being  to  teach  Ainos  and  Japanese  alike. 

“ Special  arrangements  have  been  made  for  the  pur- 
pose of  enabling  the  Ainos  to  live.” 

The  “ hairy  Ainos,”  as  these  savages  have  been  called, 
are  stupid,  gentle,  good-natured,  and  submissive.  They 
are  a wholly  distinct  race  from  the  Japanese.  In  com- 
plexion they  resemble  the  peoples  of  Spain  and  South 
ern  Italy,  and  the  expression  of  the  face  and  the  man- 
ner of  showing  courtesy  are  European  rather  than 
Asiatic.  If  not  taller,  they  are  of  a much  broader  and 
heavier  make  than  the  Japanese ; the  hair  is  jet  black, 
very  soft,  and  on  the  scalp  forms  thick,  pendant  masses, 
occasionally  wavy,  but  never  showing  any  tendency  to 
curl.  The  beard,  moustache,  and  eyebrows  are  verj 


10 


UNBEATEN  TRACKS  IN  JAPAN. 


thick  and  full,  and  there  is  frequently  a heavy  growtl 
of  stiff  hair  on  the  chest  and  Limbs.  The  neck  is  short, 
the  brow  high,  broad,  and  massive,  the  nose  broad  and 
inclined  to  flatness,  the  mouth  wide  but  well  formed, 
the  line  of  the  eyes  and  eyebrows  perfectly  straight, 
and  the  frontal  sinuses  well  marked.  Their  language 
’.s  a very  simple  one.  They  have  no  written  characters, 
no  literature,  no  history,  very  few  traditions,  and  have 
left  no  impression  on  the  land  from  which  they  have 
been  driven. 

In  Yezo  the  traveller  is  conscious  of  a freer  atmos- 
phere than  he  has  breathed  on  the  main  island,  and  it 
is  not  only  the  air  which  circulates  more  freely,  but 
men  and  beasts  have  plenty  of  elbow-room.  You  can 
get  a tolerable  horse,  and  ride  him  where  you  please, 
without  being  brought  up  by  a trespass  notice  or  a rice- 
swamp  ; you  go  off  the  roads  and  gallop  for  miles  over 
breezy  commons  by  the  sea-shore,  covered  with  red 
roses ; you  can  lead  a half-savage  life,  and  swim  rivers, 
and  climb  moimtains,  and  “ light  a fire  in  woods,”  Avith- 
out  offending  against  “ regulations ; ” in  a word,  you 
can  do  all  that  you  may  not  do  on  the  main  island ; 
and  apart  from  the  interest  of  investigation  and  obser- 
vation, there  is  a charm  about  the  thinly-peopled  coun- 
try, a fascination  in  the  long  moan  of  the  Pacific  be- 
tween Tomakomai  and  Cape  Erimo,  in  the  glorious 
loneluiess  of  the  region  round  Volcano  Bay,  and  in  the 
breeziness  and  freedom  of  Yezo  life,  wliich  makes  my 
memories  of  Yezo  in  some  respects  the  most  delightful 
which  I have  brought  away  from  Japan. 


FORM  AND  COLOUR. 


13 


THE  MISSION  WORK. 

Form  and  Colour  — A Windy  Capital  — Eccentricities  in  House  Roofi 
— Social  Dulness  — Mission  Agencies  — A Disorderly  Service 
Daily  Preaching  — A Buddhist  Temple  — A Buddhist  Sermon. 

Hakodate,  Yezo,  August  13, 1878. 

Aeter  a tremendous  bluster  for  two  days  the  weather 
has  become  beautifully  fine,  and  I find  the  climate  here 
more  invigoratmg  than  that  of  the  main  island.  It  is 
Japan,  but  yet  there  is  a difference  somehow.  When  the 
mists  lift  they  reveal  not  mountains  smothered  in  green- 
ery, but  naked  peaks,  volcanoes  only  recently  burnt 
out,  with  the  red  ash  flaming  imder  the  noonday  sun, 
and  passing  through  shades  of  pink  into  violet  at  sun- 
down. Strips  of  sand  border  the  bay,  ranges  of  hills, 
with  here  and  there  a patch  of  pine  or  scrub,  fade  into 
the  far-off  blue,  and  the  great  cloud  shadows  lie  upon 
their  scored  sides  in  mdigo  and  purple.  Blue  as  the 
Adriatic  are  the  waters  of  the  land-locked  bay,  and  the 
snowy  sails  of  pale  junks  look  whiter  than  snow  against 
its  intense  azure.  The  abruptness  of  the  double  peaks 
behind  the  town  is  softened  by  a belt  of  cryptomeria, 
the  sandy  strip  which  connects  the  headland  with  the 
mainland  heightens  the  general  resemblance  of  the 
contour  of  the  ground  to  Gibraltar,  but  while  one 
dreams  of  the  western  world  a kuruma  passes  one  at  a 
trot,  temple  drums  are  beaten  hi  a manner  which  does 
not  recall  “ the  roll  of  the  British  di  um,'’  a Buddhist 
funeral  passes  down  the  street,  ora  man-cait  pulled  and 


12 


UNBEATEN  TRACES  IN  JAPAN. 


pushed  bj  four  yellow-skinned,  little-clothed  mannikins, 
creaks  by,  with  the  monotonous  grunt  of  Ha  Jiuida. 

A single  look  at  Hakodate  itself  makes  one  feel  that 
it  is  Japan  all  over.  The  streets  are  very  wide  and 
clean,  but  the  houses  are  mean  and  low.  The  city 
looks  as  if  it  had  just  recovered  from  a conflagration. 
The  houses  are  nothing  but  tinder.  The  grand  tile 
roofs  of  some  other  cities  are  not  to  be  seen.  There  is 
not  an  element  of  permanence  in  the  wide  and  windy 
streets.  It  is  an  increasing  and  busy  place ; it  lies  for 
two  miles  along  the  shore,  and  has  climbed  the  hill  till 
it  can  go  no  higher ; but  still  houses  and  people  look 
poor.  It  has  a skeleton  aspect  too,  which  is  partially 
due  to  the  number  of  permanent  “ clothes-horses  ” on 
the  roofs.  Stones,  however,  are  its  prominent  feature. 
Looking  down  upon  it  from  above  you  see  miles  of  grey 
boulders,  and  realise  that  every  roof  in  the  windy  capi- 
tal is  “ hodden  doun  ” by  a weight  of  paving  stones. 
Nor  is  this  all.  Some  of  the  flatter  roofs  are  pebbled 
all  over  like  a courtyard,  and  others,  such  as  the  roof 
of  this  house,  for  instance,  are  covered  with  sod  and 
crops  of  grass,  the  two  latter  arrangements  being  pre- 
cautions against  risks  from  sparks  during  fires.  These 
paving  stones  are  certainly  the  cheapest  possible  mode 
of  keeping  the  roofs  on  the  houses  in  such  a windy 
region,  but  they  look  odd. 

None  of  the  streets,  except  one  high  up  the  hill,  with 
a row  of  fine  temples  and  temple  grounds,  call  for  any 
notice  Nearly  every  house  is  a shop ; most  of  the 
shops  supply  only  the  ordinary  articles  consumed  by  a 
large  and  poor  population ; either  real  or  imitated  for- 
eign goods  abound  in  IMain  Street,  and  the  only  novel- 
ties are  the  furs,  skins,  and  horns,  which  abound  in 
shops  devoted  to  their  sale.  I covet  the  great  bear  furs, 
and  the  deep  cream-coloured  furs  of  Aino  dogs,  which 


LIMITED  DIVERSIONS. 


13 


are  cheap  as  well  as  handsome.  There  are  many  sec- 
ond-hand, or,  as  they  are  called,  “ curio  ” shops,  and 
the  cheap  lacquer  from  Aomori  is  also  tempting  to  a 
stranger. 

The  foreigners,  all  told,  number  thirty-seven.  There 
is  little  social  intercourse,  owing  to  antagonism  in  mor- 
als and  manners,  and  when  the  last  stranger  leaves  at 
the  end  of  September,  and  the  long  winter  sets  in,  it 
must  be  dreary  enough  for  people  who  have  not  plenty 
of  work  which  is  worth  doing.  In  summer,  as  now,  it 
is  very  lively,  owing  to  the  frequent  arrivals  and  depart- 
ures of  European  ships  of  war,  and  the  visits  of  health- 
seeking strangers,  who  go  up  to  some  pretty  lakes  which 
lie  at  the  foot  of  the  flushed  volcano  of  Komono-taki, 
or  adventure  into  the  interior  as  far  as  Satsuporo,  the 
nominal  capital.  The  British  Consul,  Mr.  Eusdeii,  has 
been  here  for  nine  years,  and  the  cordial  and  graceful 
hospitalities  shown  by  Mrs.  Eusden  to  foreigners,  with- 
out distinction  of  nation,  often  leave  pleasanter  mem- 
ories than  the  profuse,  conventional  gaieties  of  other 
naval  resorts.  Otherwise,  to  climb  the  peak,  to  go  to 
see  Nanai,  one  of  the  experimental  farms  of  the  Kaita- 
kushi  Department,  and  to  shoot  snipe,  are  the  only 
diversions. 

The  four  bodies  of  Christians  which  have  missions 
here  have  built  church  edifices,  of  which  the  Romish  is 
the  largest,  and  the  Greek  the  most  decorated,  the  walls 
ueing  covered  with  pictures.  Hitherto  the  Greek  Mis- 
sion has  been  very  successful  in  making  converts,  and 
though  Father  Nicolai  is  alone,  he  has  four  or  five 
ordained  native  helpers.  Some  “ sisters  ” have  lately 
arrived  to  join  the  Romish  Mission,  and  will  probably 
give  it  a great  impetus.  The  Mission  of  the  C.  M.  S. 
is  a comparati^■ely  new  one,  and  is  represented  by  Mr. 
Dening,  at  whose  house  I am  staying,  and  hir.  Ogawa, 


14 


UNBEATEN  TRACKS  IN  JAPAN. 


a remarkably  bright  native  evangelist  of  the  samurax 
class.  There  have  been  eight  baptisms  at  Hakodate. 
Mr.  Dening  has  out  stations  within  treaty  limits,  where 
he  preaches  once  a week,  but  Yezo  is  Buddliist,  and  in 
one  of  these  places,  Ono,  the  opposition  is  very  strong. 

We  made  an  expedition  to  it  on  pack-ponies,  which 
went  the  whole  way  at  a pace  ferfitously  called  the 
“ Yezo  Scramble.”  After  leaving  the  neck  of  land 
which  unites  the  headland  with  the  mainland  it  was  a 
charming  vide  in  the  bright  sunshine,  over  sandy  ground, 
covered  with  grass  and  great  red  roses,  mingled  with 
honeysuckle,  sedums,  the  bee-haunted  Stephanandra 
flexuosa,  and  the  reddening  leaves  of  anemones,  with 
glimpses  of  the  blue  of  the  bay  on  the  left,  and  of  the 
red  peaks  of  the  volcano  above  dark  green  ravines. 
From  the  sandy  village  of  Arakawa  a bridle  track, 
among  gardens,  and  hamlets,  and  very  pretty  wooded 
country,  leads  to  the  large  village  of  Ono,  where  the 
many  exotic  trees  and  flowers  wloich  the  Government 
has  distributed  are  very  flourishing.  On  our  way  we 
met  a number  of  men,  and  an  Aino,  with  spears  and 
muskets,  ridmg,  not  sitting,  on  horses,  returning  from 
killing  a bear.  Near  Ono  there  is  a Government  fac- 
tory, where  they  are  utilising  the  strong  silk  of  the 
mountain  silk-worm,  which  feeds  on  the  tough  leaves 
of  a species  of  oak. 

At  Ono  there  is  a schoolroom  with  a boarded  floor, 
and  Ogawa,  the  catechist,  lives  there ; but  though  there 
has  been  Cluistian  teachmg  for  a year,  there  has  been 
no  result.  The  village  was  keeping  matsuri.,  but  when 
the  doors  of  the  schoolroom  were  opened  at  eight  the 
room  filled  at  once  with  a disorderly  crowd  of  men, 
women,  and  children,  who  came  in  like  a tornado,  and 
instead  of  leaving  their  wooden  clogs  at  the  door,  as  is 
customary,  clattered  them  on  the  floor  with  a deafening 


A DISOBDERLY  AUDIENCE. 


u 


din.  Three  hundred  people,  some  the  worse  for  saki., 
clattering  clogs,  shouting,  clustering  on  the  window-sills, 
climbing  on  the  benches,  laughing,  eating,  lighting  their 
pipes  at  the  lamps,  throwing  off  their  kimonos,  and  keep- 
ing up  a prolonged  uproar  for  an  hour  and  a quarter, 
were  the  most  unpromising  audience  1 have  ever  seen. 
Mr.  Dening  has  a singular  aptitude  for  languages,  and 
has  acquired  not  only  a wonderful  command  of  the  col- 
loquial Japanese  spoken  by  the  lower  classes,  but,  what 
is  even  more,  the  tones  in  which  they  speak ; and  hav- 
ing a strong  physiq^le,  and  a very  powerful  voice,  he 
perseveringly  made  himself  heard  above  the  uproar, 
which  was  not,  as  I supposed,  an  exceptional  one  stimu- 
lated by  the  spectacle  of  three  foreign  ladies,  but  is  the 
regular  accompaniment  of  Cliristian  preaching  in  Ono. 
Mr.  Dening  gives  his  time,  strength,  and  heart  to  his 
work,  with  a vigour,  energy,  and  enthusiasm  which 
could  not  be  surpassed,  and  which  are  unchilled  by  op- 
position and  disappointment,  otherwise  an  Ono  audience 
would  have  made  an  end  of  his  efforts  long  ago,  for  the 
Buddhist  priests  stir  up  the  people  against  the  “new 
way.”  Where  Shinto  prevails,  indifference  is  the  rule. 
We  left  the  village  at  9 p.m.,  and,  owing  to  the  fatigue 
and  fears  of  the  other  ladies,  who  were  not  accustomed 
to  ride,  and  who  were  afraid  of  deserting  the  “ scram- 
ble ” for  a gallop,  we  did  not  reach  Hakodat(^  till  1 
A.M.,  and  then  in  a sorry  plight,  after  a “ scramble  ” of 
twenty-five  miles.  It  was  the  first  really  exquisite 
night  that  I have  seen  in  Japan  ; sharp  tree  shadows  on 
dew-gemmed  grass,  broad  moonlight  on  a silver  sea, 
silver  clouds  drifting  across  mountain  summits,  and  a 
cool,  soft  air,  laden  with  the  scent  of  sleeping  flowers. 

On  Sunday  evening  a new  preaching-place  was 
opened  in  the  main  street  of  Hakodate,  a front  room 
ind  doma  open  to  the  street,  with  kitchen  extending  tc 


16 


UNBEATEN  TRACKS  IN  oAPAN. 


the  back ; and  it  is  among  the  many  instances  of  the 
toleration  which  Christianity  enjoys,  that  after  this 
place  was  filled,  the  police,  who  frequently  passed, 
never  interfered  with  the  crowd  which  assembled  out- 
side. The  people  were  very  quiet,  and  tolerably  sta- 
tionary, quite  different  from  the  Ono  “pagans.”  A 
few,  who  sat  on  the  stairs  leading  to  the  upper  room, 
called  for  the  tabako-hon  and  smoked,  and  others  had 
tra3'^s  of  refreshments  carried  to  them ; but  they  do  the 
same  in  their  own  temples. 

It  appears  very  up-hill  mission  work  here.  The 
work  has  to  be  sought  and  made,  and  frequently,  when 
the  novelty  has  passed  b}’,  the  apparent  interest  dies 
away.  A medical  missionary  is  in  a very  different 
position.  His  work  seeks  him,  and  grows  upon  him 
daily,  with  endless  interesting  ramifications,  and  he  has, 
at  least,  the  satisfaction  of  successfully  ministering  tc 
the  bodies  of  men. 

Since  the  missionaries  arrived  here,  the  Buddhists,  as 
at  Niigata,  have  established  daily  services  in  one  or 
other  of  the  large  temples  which  form  one  side  of  one 
of  the  streets,  and  I have  been  to  see  them  nearly  ever}’ 
day.  The  large  temple  is  well  filled  every  afternoon 
with  men  and  women,  all  of  the  poorer  classes,  and  as 
quiet  and  orderl}'-  as  they  can  be.  They  occupy  the 
part  railed  off  from  the  holier  place,  in  which  the 
priests  minister.  Very  low  and  sweet,  though  heard 
all  over  the  city,  is  the  sound  of  the  great  bronze  bell 
which  summons  the  hearers,  and  exactly  at  three  the 
priests  fold  back  the  heavily-gilded  doors  of  the  chancel 
and  light  the  candles  and  lamps  wliich  shed  a “dim 
religious  light  ” thi-ough  the  gorgeous  interior,  reveal- 
ing the  high  altar,  covered  with  an  altar-cloth  of  green 
brocade,  and  side  altars  hung  vdth  white  brocade  em- 
broidered with  gold.  On  the  low  altar  incense  ascends 


A BUDDHIST  SEBMON. 


between  vases  of  white  flowers,  and  a dreamy  sensu  us- 
ness  pervades  the  whole  building.  Four  priests  in 
chasubles  of  black  silk  gauze,  over  pure  Avhite  cassocks, 
with  green  brocade  squares  of  a large  size  hanging 
behind  them  by  a shoulder-strap  of  green  silk,  kneel 
with  their  backs  to  the  people,  and  in  front  of  them 
eight  more  similarly  dressed,  except  that  the  brocade 
squares  which  hang  behind  them  are  alternately  green 
and  brown,  and  embroidered  in  silver.  Before  each  is 
a low,  lacquer  desk  for  the  service-books,  and  the 
sweet-toned  bells  which  accompany  service.  Two  more 
priests  kneel  at  the  sides  of  the  altar.  A bell  sounds, 
fourteen  shaven  heads  are  bowed  three  times  to  the 
earth,  more  lamps  are  lighted ; a bell  sounds  again,  and 
then  litanies  are  chanted  monotonously,  with  bells 
tinkling,  and  the  people  responding  at  intervals,  in  a 
tongue  to  them  unknown,  Namu  Amida  Butsu.  After 
an  hour  the  priests  glide  away  in  procession,  and  one 
of  those  who  have  hitherto  been  kneeling  at  the  altar 
mounts  a square  pulpit  just  within  the  rail  which  sepa- 
rates them  from  the  people,  sits  down,  not  in  Japan- 
ese fashion,  but  cross-legged,  after  the  manner  of  the 
founder  of  his  faith,  and  preaches  for  an  hour  with 
much  energy. 

Would  you  like  to  know  how  very  diverting  a sermon 
in  Japan  can  be  made  ? The  following  is  a fragment  ol 
a translation  of  one  of  considerable  length,  which  1 
have  just  come  upon  in  the  Japan  Mail  for  June  1875. 
T^’e  sermon,  as  is  proper,  takes  a text,  which  is  to  be 
found  in  the  Chinese  Classics  — 

“ That  which  is  evil,  be  it  but  small,  do  not : 

That  which  is  good,  be  it  but  small,  fail  not  to  do.” 

7 he  echoes  of  a thousand  pulpits  are  in  the  opening 
sentences : “ These  words,  my  good  friends,  are  found 


|S  UNBEATEN  TRACKS  IN  JAPAN. 

in  the  section  called  Kagen  of  the  Shogaku,  which  is  so 
well  known  to  all  of  you.  They  are  indeed  blessed 
words,  and  well  suited  to  be  our  text  this  evening. 
These  words  are  short,  but  they  contain  an  invalua- 
ble lesson.”  Two  or  three  pages  of  thoroughly  valuable 
and  condensed  moral  teaching  follow.  Sounder  ethics 
on  this  subject  could  not  be  found,  and  the  terse  max- 
ims are  illustrated  by  anecdotes  and  comparisons  level 
to  the  capacity  of  boor  or  child.  I grieve  that  I must 
not  copy  the  whole,  as  it  would  make  tliis  letter  too 
long.  The  sermon  concludes  with  an  imaginary’  dia- 
logue, which  I can  well  believe  would  arrest  the  atten- 
tion of  the  largest  congregation  ever  gathered  under 
one  roof  in  Japan. 

“ What  says  the  song  ? 

“ ‘ Self-restraint  our  daily  words, 

Howe’er  so  short,  should  guard 
From  morn  to  eve.’ 

“ A misfortune  may  have  its  origin  in  a word.  Take, 
as  an  example,  the  way  a husband  calls  to  his  wife. 
Should  he  summon  her  -with  a pleasant  ‘ Here,  good 
wife,’  she  will  reply  with  a soft  ‘ Ai,  ai.’’  Now  take  the 
reverse  of  that. 

Husband.  “ ‘ What  are  you  pottering  at  there  ? Just 
stir  about,  will  you  ? These  short  days  too  ! ’ 

Wife.  “ ‘ I know  the  days  are  short,  and  that’s  just  it. 
If  any  one  comes  to  the  door  I’ve  got  to  answer,  and 
the  washing  to  look  after  besides.  I haven’t  got  five  or 
six  hands  to  do  all  that,  have  I ? ’ 

Husband.  “ ‘ Are  you  going  to  give  your  husband 
any  of  your  ill  chat  ? ’ 

Wife.  “ ‘ Well,  what  are  you  doing  hugging  that  fire 
box  all  day,  instead  of  lemling  me  a hand  now  and 
then  ? ’ 


A MATRIMONIAL  QUARREL. 


19 


Husband.  “ ‘ What’s  that  now?  Look  here,  I’m  not 
an  ox,  I’ll  have  you  know.  You’re  not  going  to  put  a 
rope  through  my  snout,  and  lug  me  all  over  the  place. 
You  don’t  do  that  with  human  beings  ; ’ and  so  they  go 
on.  he  a fine  strapping  young  fellow,  and  she  a sweet- 
lo'^king  young  girl,  a rival  to  Benten-Sama  in  ver}’' 
beauty,  by  turns  now  red,  now  green,  with  passion. 

Husband.  “ ‘ It  would  be  but  a small  matter  though 
one  killed  a useless  hussey  like  you  outright.’ 

Wife.  “ ‘ Oh,  just  please  kill  me  now  — do  kill  me. 
You  didn’t  pick  me  off  a dunghill  though  for  all  that. 
I’ve  got  a good  stout  father  and  elder  brother  to  take 
c are  of  me.  See  there,  just  you  kill  me  now  ! ’ 

Husband.  “ ‘ Oh ! I’ll  soon  do  that.’ 

“ Such  a hubbub  ! 

“ They  are  not  the  great  things  of  life  which  call  for 
our  watchfid  care ; they  are  the  small  affairs,  the  so- 
called  trifling  matters,  the  ‘Yeas’  and  ‘Noes,’  the  ques^ 
tions  and  answers  in  our  daily  htme  life.  Peace  in  a 
household  is  like  the  joyous  music  in  the  dancing  cars 
of  the  gods  in  the  region  of  heaven.” 

So  ends  the  sermon,  and  I feel  that  from  Solomon’s 
day  downwards  there  is  a monotonous  resemblance 
among  men,  that  “as  in  water  face  answereth  to  face 
so  answereth  the  heart  of  man  to  man.”  T.  L.  B 


20 


UNBEATEN  TRACKS  IN  JAPAN. 


HAKODATE. 

Ito’s  Delinquency  — “Missiona  y Manners” — A Predicted  Failure 
— A Japanese  Doctor  — The  Hakodate  Hospital  — The  Prison  — 
Prison  Amenities  — Chrysanthemum  Culture  — The  Bon  Festi- 
val— A Holiday-making  Crowd. 

HAKODATE.  Yezo. 

I AM  enjoying  Hakodate  so  much  that,  though  my 
tour  is  all  planned  and  my  arrangements  are  made,  I 
linger  on  from  day  to  day.  There  has  been  an  unpleas- 
ant Sclaircissement  about  Ito.  You  tvill  remember  that 
I engaged  him  without  a character,  and  that  he  told 
both  Lady  Parkes  and  me  that  after  I had  done  so  his 
former  master,  Mr.  Maries,  asked  him  to  go  back  to 
him,  to  which  he  had  replied  that  he  had  “a  contract 
with  a lady.”  Mr.  Maries  is  here,  and  I now  find  that 
he  had  a contract  with  Ito,  by  which  Ito  bound  himself 
to  serve  him  as  long  as  he  required  him,  for  $7  a month, 
but  that  hearing  that  I offered  $12,  he  ran  away  from 
him  and  entered  my  service  with  a lie ! Mr.  Maries  has 
been  put  to  the  greatest  inconvenience  by  his  defection, 
and  has  been  hindered  greatly  in  completing  his  botan- 
ical collection,  for  Ito  is  ver}^  clever,  and  he  had  not 
only  trained  him  to  dry  plants  successfully,  but  he  coulc 
trust  him  to  go  away  for  two  or  three  days  and  collect 
seeds.  I am  very  sorry  about  it.  He  says  that  Ito  was 
a bad  boy  when  he  came  to  him,  but  he  thinks  that  he 
cured  him  of  some  of  his  faults,  and  that  he  has  served 
me  faithfully.  I have  seen  INIr.  Maries  at  the  Consul’s, 
and  have  arranged  that  after  my  Yezo  tour  is  over  Itc 


ITO  8 DELINQUENCY. 


21 


shall  be  returned  to  his  rightful  master,  who  will  take 
him  to  China  and  Formosa  for  a year  and  a half,  and 
who,  I think,  will  look  after  his  well-being  in  every 
way.  Dr.  and  Mrs.  Hepburn,  who  are  here,  heard  a bad 
account  of  the  boy  after  I began  my  travels,  and  were 
uneasy  about  me,  but  except  for  this  original  lie,  I have 
no  fault  to  find  with  him,  and  his  Shinto  creed  has  not 
taught  him  any  better.  When  I paid  him  his  wages 
this  morning  he  asked  me  if  I had  any  fault  to  find,  and 
I told  him  of  my  objection  to  his  manners,  which  he 
took  in  very  good  part,  and  promised  to  amend  them ; 
“ but,”  he  added,  “ mine  are  just  missionary  manners  ! ” 

Yesterday  I dined  at  the  Consulate,  to  meet  Count 
Diesbach,  of  the  French  Legation,  Mr.  Von  Siebold,  of 
the  Austrian  Legation,  and  Lieutenant  Kreitner,  of  the 
Austrian  army,  who  start  to-morrow  on  an  exploring 
expedition  in  the  interior,  intending  to  cross  the  sources 
uf  the  rivers  wliich  fall  into  the  sea  on  the  southern 
coast,  and  measure  the  heights  of  some  of  the  moun- 
tains. They  are  “ well  found  ” in  food  and  claret,  but 
take  such  a number  of  pack-ponies  with  them  that  I 
predict  that  they  will  fail,  and  that  I,  who  have  reduced 
my  luggage  to  45  lbs.,  will  succeed ! 

After  dinner  the  Consul  took  me  to  the  hospital, 
where  we  were  received  by  Dr.  Fucasi,  who  is  not  only 
at  the  head  of  the  hospital  and  its  medical  and  student 
staff,  but  in  the  lack  of  a European  doctor  has  won  the 
confidence  of  the  whole  European  community.  He  is  a 
very  bright,  keen-eyed  man,  and  very  enthusiastic  in 
his  profession.  He  wears  a European  white  linen  suit, 
but  does  not  speak  English. 

The  hospital  consists  of  three  well-ventilated  Euro- 
pean buildings,  one  of  which  is  for  sailors.  It  may 
literally  be  said  that  it  has  120  “ beds,”  for  Dr.  Eldridge, 
who  organised  it,  and  left  it  in  a very  efficient  condi 


22 


UNBEATEN  TRACKS  IN  JAPAN. 


tion,  introduced  bedsteads,  much  to  the  advantage  ol 
the  patients.  Foreigners,  mainly  sailors,  pay  50  sen,  oi 
about  is.  8d.  a day,  natives  20  sen,  and  absolutely  des- 
titute persons  are  received  gi-atuitously.  There  are  six 
Japanese  doctors  on  duty  at  this  hospital,  which  is,  be- 
sides, a school  of  medicine,  in  whicli  instruction  is  given 
b}'  daily  lectures  and  clinical  demonstrations.  It  is 
very  clean  and  cheerful,  and  the  patients  looked  quite 
as  comfortable  as  hospital  patients  in  England.  Each 
bed  has  a shelf  for  the  patient’s  use,  and  a tablet  on 
which  the  hours  for  taking  medicine  are  inscribed.  Dr. 
Fucasi  uses  the  antiseptic  treatment,  under  which  he 
considers  that  cures  are  more  rapid  and  that  pain  is 
mitigated.  There  were  a great  number  of  surgical 
cases,  and  three  men  had  actually  consented  to  part 
with  their  legs!  Dr.  Fucasi  showed  one  case  with 
great  pride,  in  which  a man  wdiose  leg  was  only  ampu- 
tated twenty-five  days  ago  was  ready  to  be  dismissed, 
and  was  walking  about  on  his  crutches.  There  were 
several  kak'hS  patients,  and  a number  of  severe  cases 
of  eye  disease,  arising  from  neglected  oplithalmia.  The 
number  of  out-patients  who  pay  for  medicines  only, 
averages  160  daily,  and  is  always  on  the  increase, 
though  there  are  foiu:  other  hospitals  in  Yezo,  and 
every  village  of  any  size  has  its  dispensary  and  Japan- 
ese doctor.  These  evidences  (and  they  are  only  a few 
among  many)  of  enlightenment  and  progress  in  this 
remote  part  of  the  empire  are  not  only  interesting  but 
surprising,  considering  that  it  is  less  than  seven  years 
since  Iwakura  and  his  mission  went  to  Europe  and 
America  to  investigate  western  civilisation  with  the 
view  of  transplanting  its  best  results  to  Japanese  soil. 

It  is  quite  a natural  transition  to  the  prison,  wliich  I 
visited  afterwards  with  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Eusden.  It  is  a 
pleasant  prison,  standing  in  extensive  gardens  at  some 


THE  HAKODATE  PRISON. 


23 


distance  from  the  town,  perhaps  too  pleasant ! 1 made 

this  remark  to  the  chief  of  police,  and  the  manager  who 
received  us,  and  the  former  replied  laughingly,  that 
some  of  the  criminals  seemed  very  fond  of  coming 
haok.^  There  are  several  separate  buildings,  including 
well-ventilated  dormitories,  workrooms,  I’efectories,  and 
a cell  something  like  a bear  cage,  for  the  deteptioT< 
refractory  criminals.  170  prisoners  are  undergoing  sen- 
tence, 10  are  there  for  murder,  and  19  of  the  number 
are  sentenced  to  penal  servitude  for  life.  Only  4 are 
women.  The  whole  are  under  the  charge  of  17  ward- 
ers. Considerable  liberty  is  allowed.  Hard  labour 
consists  in  working  on  the  road  and  dragging  man- 
carts  ; light,  in  tilling  the  garden,  and  in  employment 
at  the  workshops. 

They  have'  a tannery,  and  make  cabinet-work,  can- 
dles of  vegetable  wax,  soap,  alcohol,  and  scents,  besides 
which  they  do  engraving  and  block-printing.  A man 
is  usually  allowed  to  follow  his  own  trade,  but  if,  being 
a peasant,  he  has  not  one,  he  is  tauglit  one  in  the  prison. 
There  are  never  more  than  eight  employed  in  the  same 
room,  but  to  my  surprise  they  are  allowed  to  talk. 
There  were  only  two  that  1 should  pick  out  as  low, 
criminal  faces  among  the  number ; most  of  them  looked 
like  pleasant,  intelligent  artisans,  and  only  7 per  cent 
are  unable  to  read  and  write.  They  wear  red  kimonos., 
but  are  free  from  any  physical  restraints,  and,  except 
the  refractory  cage,  there  is  nothing  of  the  nature  of  a 
cell.  They  are  known  by  numerals  only  to  the  warders 
and  each  other.  Photographs  are  taken  and  preserved 
of  all  who  are  sentenced  for  more  than  100  days.  They 

1 Since  I visited  the  prison  of  the  Naamhoi  Magistrate,  the  great 
prison  of  Canton,  where  unmitigated  barbarism  and  cruelty,  the  out- 
growtli  of  unmitigated  rapacity,  still  regulate  the  treatment  of  crimi- 
nals, I have  felt  inclined  to  condone  what  appeared  to  me,  at  the  time, 
Ihe  exaggerated  leniency  of  the  Hakodate  system. 


24 


UNlijSATEN  TRACKS  IK  JAPAN. 


receive  fair  wages  for  their  work  as  piece-work,  the  cost 
of  their  keep  is  deducted,  and  the  accumulated  sur  plus 
is  handed  to  them  at  the  expiry  of  the  sentence,  and 
often  amounts  to  a simi  sufficient  to  set  them  up  in 
business.  Great  care  is  taken  to  conceal  the  identity 
of  the  prisoners.  Not  thinking  it  possible  that  any  ol 
them  could  hear  me,  I asked  through  the  Consul’s  in- 
terpreter, for  what  crime  a superior-looking  man  was 
there,  and  the  chief  of  police  begged  me  to  postpone 
the  question  till  we  were  out  of  hearing  of  the  man’s 
comrades.  There  is  a flower  garden  attached  to  the 
prison,  in  which  the  convicts  take  great  delight.  At 
present  some  of  them  are  cultivating  chrysanthemums 
Bad  eggs  or  dead  birds  are  buried  at  the  roots,  and 
each  plant  is  allowed  to  bear  but  one  blossom. 

It  seems  to  me  that  the  only  telling  features  of  pun 
ishment  in  this  prison  are  the  withdrawal  from  family 
life  and  the  withholding  of  liberty  to  move  about.  Ij 
is  humane  to  a fault,  and  the  prisoners  look  reall} 
happy.  Whether  this  mild  system  produces  reforma 
tory  results,  I cannot  ascertain. 

At  night  we  went  to  the  Bon  festival.  This  is  one 
of  the  great  festivals  of  Japan,  the  “feast  of  lanterns.’ 
It  was  introduced  from  China  in  the  eighth  century, 
and  its  original  object  undoubtedly  was  to  procru’e  the 
release  of  departed  spirits  from  the  Buddhist  piu-gatorj" 
Offerings  of  food  are  still  made  at  the  tombs,  but  the 
chief  fealiures  of  the  festival  are  a general  holiday, 
abundance  of  sake.,  thousands  of  lanterns,  and  a gen 
eral  resemblance  to  a fair. 

We  went  out  about  nine,  and  found  the  greacor  part 
of  the  population  of  Hakodate  assembled  either  in  the 
great  cemetery  or  on  the  roads  leading  to  it,  which  were 
turned  into  avenues  of  coloured  lanterns,  with  pyra 
mids,  festoons,  and  arches  of  lanterns,  and  transpareu 


A Fi:STIVAL  OF  THE  DEAD. 


25 


cies  oi’  all  forms  and  colours,  and  lines  of  illuminated 
booths  bright  with  toys,  sweetmeats,  and  knick-knacks. 
Thousands  of  people,  cheerful,  orderly,  and  courteous, 
thronged  the  roads  till  it  was  only  possible  to  get  on  a 
few  yards  at  a time ; children  with  gay  dresses  and  fan  ■ 
tastically-arranged  hair  were  making  purchases  at  ah 
the  stalls ; drums,  bells,  gongs,  stringed  instruments, 
kept  up  din  and  discord;  the  burial-ground  was  one 
glorious  illumination  in  undulating  lines  of  light;  the 
pale  junks  on  the  silver  sea  hung  out  coloured  lanterns ; 
it  was  all  beautiful  and  wonderful.  In  a small  Buddh- 
ist temple  with  a ShintQ  mirror,  a richly -dressed  priest 
knelt  in  front  of  an  illuminated  altar,  in  the  midst  of 
the  soft  light  of  countless  lanterns,  repeating  endless 
litanies  to  the  accompaniment  of  a monster  drum,  and 
a bronze  bowl  with  a bell-like  sound,  which  he  struck 
incessantly  and  alternately  with  two  sticks,  while  an 
ailiused  crowd  watched  him  without  reverence  from  the 
outside.  At  the  entrance  of  the  cemetery  there  were 
fifteen  wooden  posts,  each  inscribed  with  the  name  of  a 
god.  In  every  post  there  was  a wheel,  and  each  turn 
of  the  wheel  is  ecpiivalent  to  a prayer  to  the  god. 
Some  people  turned  the  whole  fifteen  carelessly  as  they 
passed.  In  the  same  place  there  was  a temporary 
shrine,  which  was  the  chief  centre  of  attraction.  It 
appeared  to  be  full  of  decorated  images,  and  was  ablaze 
with  light,  and  two  great  pyramids  of  lanterns  were 
opposite  to  it.  It  and  the  flight  of  steps  leading  to  it 
were  one  swaying,  struggling,  mass  of  people,  and 
though  some  obliging  officials  made  an  attempt  to  make 
way  for  us,  we  were  forced  backwards  down  the  stairs, 
and  as  there  was  more  than  a mere  fanciful  risk  of  being 
hurt,  we  were  obliged  reluctantly  to  give  it  up,  and 
return  home  through  the  crowded  fairy  scene,  and 
through  streets  witli  lanterns  hanging  from  everj'  house 


26 


UNBEATEN  TRACKS  IN  JAPAN. 


1 hope  to  Start  on  my  long-projected  tour  to-morrow 
I have  planned  it  iur  my-self  with  the  confidence  of  an 
experienced  traveller,  and  look  forward  to  it  \vdth  great 
pleasuie,  as  a visit  to  the  aboriguies  is  sure  to  be  full  of 
novel  and  interesting  experiences.  Good-bye  for  a long 
time.  I.  L.  B. 


A LOVELY  tiUNSET. 


27 


A CHANGE  OF  SCENERY. 

A Lovely  Sunset  — An  Official  Letter  — A “ Front  Horse  ” — Japan- 
ese Courtesy  — Sedentary  Amusements — The  Steam  Ferry  — Cool- 
ies AbscouJ  — A Team  of  Savages  — A Drive  of  Horses  — Flora] 
Beauties — An  Unbeaten  Track  — A Ghostly  Dwelling  — Solitude 
and  Eeriness. 

Ginsainoma,  Yezo,  August  17. 

I AM  once  again  in  the  wilds ! I am  sitting  outside 
an  upper  room  built  out  almost  over  a lonely  lake,  with 
wooded  points  purpling,  and  still  shadows  deepening  in 
the  sinking  sun.  A number  of  men  are  dragging  down 
the  nearest  hill-side  the  carcass  of  a bear  which  they 
have  just  despatched  with  spears.  There  is  no  village, 
and  the  busy  clatter  of  the  cicada  and  the  rustle  of  the 
forest  are  the  only  sounds  which  float  on  the  still  even- 
ing air.  The  sunset  colours  are  pink  and  green ; on 
the  tinted  water  lie  the  waxen  cups  of  great  v/ater- 
lilies,  and  above  the  ivooded  heights  the  pointed, 
craggy,  and  altogether  naked  summit  of  the  volcano 
of  Komono-taki  flushes  red  in  the  sunset.  Not  the 
least  of  the  charms  of  the  evening  is  that  I am  abso- 
lutely alone,  having  ridden  the  eighteen  miles  from 
Hakodate  without  Ito  or  an  attendant  of  any  kind ; 
have  unsaddled  my  own  horse,  and  by  means  of  much 
politeness  and  a dexterous  use  of  Japanese  substantives 

1 I venture  to  present  tbis  journal  letter,  with  a few  omissions,  just 
as  it  was  written,  trusting  that  tbe  intere.st  which  attaches  to  aboriginal 
races  and  little-visited  regions  will  carry  my  rea/lers  through  the  minute- 
ness and  multiplicity  of  its  details. 


28 


UNBEATEN  TRACKS  IN  JAPAN. 


have  secured  a good  room  and  supper  of  rice,  eggs,  and 
black  beans  for  myself,  and  a mash  of  beans  for  m;y 
horse,  which,  as  it  belongs  to  the  Kaitakushi.,  and  has 
the  dignity  of  iron  shoes,  is  entitled  to  special  con- 
sideration ! 

I am  not  yet  off  the  “ beaten  track,”  but  my  spirits 
are  rising  with  the  fine  weather,  the  drier  atmosphere, 
and  the  freedom  of  Yezo.  Yezo  is  to  the  main  island 
of  Japan  what  Tipperary  is  to  an  Englishman,  Barra 
to  a Scotchman,  “away  down  in  Texas”  to  a Xew 
Yorker — in  the  rough,  little  known  and  thinly-peopled; 
and  people  can  locate  all  sorts  of  improbable  stories 
here  without  much  fear  of  being  found  out,  of  which 
the  Ainos  and  the  misdeeds  of  the  ponies  furnish  the 
staple,  and  the  queer  doings  of  men  and  dogs,  and  ad- 
ventures with  bears,  wolves,  and  salmon,  the  embroid- 
ery. Nobody  comes  here  without  meeting  with  some- 
thing queer,  and  one  or  two  tumbles  either  with  or 
from  his  horse.  Very  little  is  known  of  the  interior 
except  that  it  is  covered  with  forest  matted  together  by 
lianas,  and  with  an  undergroAvth  of  scrub  bamboo  im- 
penetrable except  to  the  axe,  varied  by  swamps  equally 
impassable,  which  gives  rise  to  hundreds  of  rivers 
well  stocked  with  fish.  The  glare  of  volcanoes  is  seen 
in  different  parts  of  the  island.  The  forests  are  the 
hunting-grounds  of  the  Ainos,  who  are  complete  sav- 
ages in  everything  but  their  disposition,  which  is  said 
to  be  so  gentle  and  harmless  that  I may  go  among  them 
with  perfect  safety. 

Kindly  interest  has  been  excited  by  the  first  foray 
made  by  a lady  into  the  country  of  the  aborigines ; and 
Mr.  Eusden,  the  Consul,  has  worked  upon  the  powers 
that  be  with  such  good  effect  that  the  Governor  has 
grranted  me  a shomon,  a sort  of  official  letter  or  certifi- 
cate,  giving  me  a riglit  to  obtain  horses  and  coolies 


A “FRONT  HORSE." 


29 


everywhere  at  the  Government  rate  of  6 sen  a ri,  with 
a prior  claim  to  accommodation  at  the  houses  kept  up 
for  officials  on  their  circuits,  and  to  help  and  assistance 
from  officials  generally ; and  the  Governor  has  further 
telegraphed  to  the  other  side  of  Volcano  Bay  desii-ing 
the  authorities  to  give  me  the  use  of  the  Government 
kuruma  as  long  as  I need  it,  and  to  detain  the  steamer 
to  suit  my  convenience ! With  this  document,  wMch 
enables  me  to  dispense  with  my  passport,  I shall  find 
travelling  very  easy,  and  I am  very  grateful  to  the 
Consul  for  procuring  it  for  me. 

Here,  where  rice  and  tea  have  to  be  imported,  there 
is  a uniform  charge  at  the  yadoyas  of  30  sen  a day, 
which  includes  three  meals,  whether  you  eat  them  or 
not.  Horses  are  abundant,  but  are  small,  and  are  not 
up  to  heavy  weights.  They  are  entirely  unshod,  and 
though  their  hoofs  are  very  shallow  and  grow  into 
turned-up  points  and  other  singular  shapes,  they  go 
over  rough  ground  with  facility  at  a scrambling  run  of 
over  four  miles  an  hour,  following  a leader  called  a 
“ front  horse.”  If'  you  don’t  get  a “ front  horse  ” and 
try  to  ride  in  front,  you  find  that  your  horse  will  not 
stir  till  he  has  another  before  him ; and  then  you  are 
perfectly  helpless,  as  he  follows  the  movements  of  his 
leader  withoiit  any  reference  to  your  wishes.  There 
are  no  mago ; a man  rides  the  “ front  horse,”  and  goes 
at  whatever  pace  you  please,  or  if  you  get  a “front 
horse  ” you  may  go  without  any  one.  Horses  are  cheap 
and  abundant.  They  drive  a number  of  them  down 
from  the  hills  every  morning  into  corrals  in  the  villages, 
and  keep  them  there  till  they  are  wanted.  Because 
they  are  so  cheap  they  are  very  badly  used.  I have 
not  seen  one  yet  without  a sore  back,  produced  by  the 
harsh  pack-saddle  rubbing  up  and  down  the  spine,  as 
the  loaded  animals  are  driven  at  a run.  They  are 
mostly  very  poor-looking. 


80 


UNBEATEN  TRACKS  IN  JAPAN. 


As  there  was  some  difficulty  about  getting  a horse  foi 
me,  the  Consul  sent  one  of  the  Kaitakushi  saddle-horses, 
a handsome,  lazy  animal,  which  I rarely  succeeded  in 
stimulating  into  a heavy  gallop.  Leaving  Ito  to  follow 
with  the  baggage,  I enjoyed  my  solitary  ride  and  the 
possibility  of  choosing  my  own  pace  very  much,  though 
the  choice  was  only  between  a slow  walk  an  i the  him- 
bering  gallop  aforesaid. 

I met  strings  of  horses  loaded  with  deer-hides,  and 
overtook  other  strings  loaded  with  sake  and  manufac- 
tured goods,  and  in  each  case  had  a fight  with  my  so- 
ciably inclined  animal.  In  two  villages  I was  interested 
to  see  that  the  small  shops  contained  lucifer  matches, 
cotton  umbrellas,  boots,  brushes,  clocks,  slates,  and  pen- 
cils, engravings  in  frames,  kerosene  lamps,^  and  red  and 
green  blankets,  all  but  the  last,  which  are  unmistak- 
able British  “ shoddy,”  being  Japanese  imitations  of 
foreign  manufactured  goods,  more  or  less  cleverly  exe- 
cuted. The  road  goes  up-hill  for  fifteen  miles,  and 
after  passing  Nanai,  a trim  Europeanised  village  in  the 
midst  of  fine  crops,  one  of  the  places  at  wliich  the  Gov- 
ernment is  making  acclimatisation  and  other  agricul- 
tural experiments,  it  fairly  enters  the  mountains,  and 
from  the  top  of  a steep  liill  there  is  a glorious  view  of 
Hakodate  Head,  looking  like  an  island  in  the  deep  blue 
sea,  and  from  the  top  of  a higher  hill,  looking  north- 
ward, a magnificent  view  of  the  volcano  with  its  bai’e, 
pink  summit  rising  above  three  lovely  lakes  densely 
wooded.  These  are  the  flushed  scaurs  and  outbreaks  of 
bare  rock  for  wliich  I sighed  amidst  the  smothering 

1 The  use  of  kerosene  in  matted  wooden  houses  is  a new  cause  oi 
conflagrations.  It  is  not  possible  to  say  how  it  originated,  but  just 
before  Christmas  187P  a fire  broke  out  in  Hakodate,  which  in  a few 
hours  destroyed  20  streets,  2500  houses,  the  British  Consulate,  several 
public  buildings,  the  new  native  Christian  Church,  and  the  Church 
Mission  House,  leaving  11,000  people  homeless. 


JAPANESE  COURTESY. 


31 


greenery  of  the  main  island,  and  the  silver  gleam  of  the 
lakes  takes  away  the  blindness  from  the  face  of  nature. 
It  was  delicious  to  descend  to  the  water’s  edge  in  the 
dewy  silence  amidst  balsamic  odours,  to  find  not  a clat- 
tering giey  village  with  its  monotony,  but  a single, 
irregularly -built  house,  with  lovely  surroundings. 

It  is  a most  displeasing  road  for  most  of  the  way ; 
sides  with  deep  corrugations,  and  in  the  middle  a high 
causeway  of  earth,  whose  height  is  being  added  to  by 
hundreds  of  creels  of  earth  brought  on  ponies’  backs. 
It  is  supposed  that  carriages  and  waggons  will  use  this 
causeway,  but  a shying  horse  or  a bad  driver  would 
overturn  them.  As  it  is  at  present,  the  road  is  only 
passable  for  pack-horses,  owing  to  the  number  of  broken 
bridges.  I passed  strings  of  horses  laden  with  sakS 
going  into  the  interior.  The  people  of  Yezo  drink 
freely,  and  the  poor  Ainos  outrageously.  On  the  road 
I dismounted  to  rest  myself  by  walking  up  hill,  and 
the  saddle  being  loosely  girthed,  the  gear  behind  it 
dragged  it  round  and  under  the  body  of  the  horse, 
and  it  was  too  heavy  for  me  to  lift  on  his  back  again. 
When  I had  led  him  for  some  time  two  Japanese  with 
a string  of  pack-horses  loaded  with  deer-hides  met  me, 
and  not  only  put  the  saddle  on  again,  but  held  the  stir- 
rup while  I remounted,  and  bowed  politely  when  I 
went  away.  Who  could  help  liking  such  a courteous 
and  kindly  people  ? 


Mori,  Volcano  Bat,  Monday. 

Even  Ginsainoma  was  not  Paradise  after  dark,  and  I 
was  actually  driven  to  bed  early  by  the  number  of 
mosquitoes.  Tto  is  in  an  excellent  humour  on  this 
tour.  Like  me,  h(>  likes  the  freedom  of  the  Hokkaido. 
He  is  much  more  polite  and  agreeable  also,  and  very 
proud  of  the  Governor’s  shomon,  with  which  he  swag- 


32 


UNBEATEN  TRACKS  IN  JAPAN. 


gers  into  liotels  and  Transport  Offices.  I never  get  on 
so  well  as  when  he  arranges  for  me.  Saturday  was 
grey  and  lifeless,  and  the  ride  of  seven  miles  here  along 
a sandy  road  through  monotonous  forest  and  swamp, 
with  the  volcano  on  one  side  and  low  wooded  hills  on 
the  other,  was  wearisome  and  fatiguing.  I saw  five 
large  snakes  all  in  a heap,  and  a number  more  twisting 
through  the  grass.  There  are  no  villages,  but  several 
very  poor  tea-houses,  and  on  the  other  side  of  the  road 
long  sheds  with  troughs  hollowed  like  canoes  out  of  the 
trunks  of  trees,  containing  horse  food.  Here  nobody 
walks,  and  the  men  ride  at  a quick  run,  sitting  on  the 
tops  of  their  pack-saddles  with  their  legs  crossed  above 
their  horses’  necks,  and  wearing  large  hats  like  coal- 
scuttle bonnets.  The  horses  are  infested  with  ticks, 
hundreds  upon  one  animal  sometimes,  and  occasionally 
they  become  so  mad  from  the  irritation  that  they  throw 
themselves  suddenly  on  the  ground,  and  roll  over  load 
and  rider.  I saw  this  done  twice.  The  ticks  often 
transfer  themselves  to  the  riders. 

Mori  is  a large,  ramshackle  village,  near  the  southern 
point  of  Volcano  Bay,  a wild,  di’eary-looking  place  on  a 
sandy  shore,  with  a number  of  joroyas  and  disreputable 
characters.  Several  of  the  yadoyas  are  not  respectable, 
but  I rather  hke  this  one,  and  it  has  a very  fine  view  of 
the  volcano,  which  forms  one  point  of  the  bay.  Mori 
has  no  anchorage,  though  it  has  an  unfinished  pier  345 
feet  long.  The  steam  ferry  across  the  mouth  of  the  bay 
is  here,  and  there  is  a very  difficult  bridle-track  running 
for  nearly  100  miles  round  the  bay  besides,  and  a road 
into  the  interior.  But  it  is  a forlorn,  decayed  place. 
Last  night  the  inn  was  very  noisy,  as  some  travellers 
in  the  next  room  to  mine  hired  geishas.,  who  played, 
sang,  and  danced  till  two  in  the  morning,  and  the 
whole  party  imbibed  saki  freely.  In  this  compara 


THE  STEAM  FERRY. 


33 


ti\'ely  nortliern  latitude  the  summer  is  already  waning. 
The  seeds  of  the  blossoms  which  were  in  their  glory 
when  r arrived  are  ripe,  and  here  and  there  a tinge  of 
yellow  on  a hill-side,  or  a scarlet  spray  of  maple,  heralds 
the  glories  and  the  coolness  of  autumn. 

The  travellers  in  the  next  room  played  all  day  at  a 
game  which  I have  seen  literally  everywhere  in  Japan, 
wherevei  men  have  time  to  kill.  This  great  resource  is 
called  go,  and  is  played  with  180  white  discs  cut  from 
a species  of  cockle  shell,  and  181  black  ones,  made  from 
a black  pebble.  The  board  is  divided  into  361  squares, 
and  the  game  consists  in  enclosing  a certain  space,  and 
preventing  the  opponent  from  doing  the  same.  The 
table  on  which  the  board  is  set,  called  the  gd-han,  has  a 
square  hollow  beneath  it,  to  which  a terrible  legend 
attaches,  namely,  that  according  to  the  ancient  laws  of 
the  game,  if  a third  person  interfered  or  offered  his  ad- 
vice to  either  player  his  head  might  be  chopped  off  and 
placed  in  the  hollow,  which  would  collect  the  blood 
which  dripped  from  it ! Hence  its  ghastly  name,  which 
means  “ the  blood-collector ! ” These  men  played  at 
g$  from  seven  in  the  morning  till  eleven  at  night.  I 
have  seen  shogi  or  Japanese  chess  played,  but  not  so 
universally  as  g6. 


Yubets,  Yezo. 

A loud  yell  of  “ steamer,”  coupled  with  the  informa- 
tion that  “she  could  not  wait  one  minute,”  broke  in 
upon  go  and  everything  else,  and  in  a broiling  sun  we 
huiTied  down  to  the  pier,  and  with  a heap  of  Japanese, 
who  filled  two  scows,  were  put  on  board  a steamer  not 
bigger  than  a large,  decked  steam  launch,  where  the 
natives  were  all  packed  into  a covered  hole,  and  I was 
conducted  with  much  ceremony  to  the  forecastle,  a 
place  at  the  bow  5 feet  square,  full  of  coils  of  rope. 


34 


UNBEATEN  TRACES  IN  JAPAN. 


shut  in.  and  left  to  solitude  and  dignity,  and  the  stare 
of  eight  eyes,  which  perseveringly  glowered  through 
the  windows ! The  steamer  had  been  kept  waiting  for 
me  on  the  other  side  for  two  days,  to  the  infinite  dis- 
gust of  two  foreigners,  who  wished  to  return  to  IIak(»- 
dat(^,  and  to  mine. 

Tt  was  a splendid  day,  with  foam  crests  on  the  won- 
derfully blue  water,  and  the  red  ashes  of  the  volcano, 
which  forms  tlie  south  point  of  the  bay,  glowed  in  the 
sunlight.  This  wretched  steamer,  whose  boilers  are  so 
often  “ sick  ” that  she  can  never  be  relied  upon,  is  the 
only  means  of  reaching  the  new  capital  without  taking 
a most  difficult  and  circuitous  route.  To  continue  the 
pier  and  put  a capable,  good  steamer  on  the  ferry  would 
be  a useful  expenditui-e  of  money.  The  breeze  was 
strong  and  in  our  favour,  but  even  with  this  it  took  us 
six  weary  hours  to  steam  twenty-five  miles,  and  it  was 
eight  at  night  before  we  reached  the  beautiful  and 
almost  land-locked  ba}'  of  Mororan,  with  steep,  wooded 
sides,  and  deep  water  close  to  the  shore,  deep  enough 
for  the  foreign  ships  of  war  which  occasionally  anchor 
there,  much  to  the  detriment  of  the  town.  We  got  ofi 
in  over-crowded  sampans,  and  several  people  fell  into 
the  water,  much  to  their  own  amusement.  The  ser- 
vants from  the  different  yadoyas  go  down  to  the  jetty 
to  “ tout  ” for  guests  with  large  paper  lanterns,  and  the 
effect  of  these,  one  above  another,  waving  and  undu- 
lating, with  their  soft  coloured  light,  was  as  bewitching 
as  the  reflection  of  the  stars  in  the  motionless  water. 
Mororan  is  a small  town  very  picturesquely  situated  on 
the  steep  shore  of  a most  lovely  bay,  with  another 
height,  richly  wooded,  above  it,  with  slirines  approached 
by  flights  of  stone  stairs,  and  behind  tins  liill  there  is 
the  first  Aino  village  along  this  coast. 

The  long,  irregular  street  is  slightly  picturesque,  but 


COOLIES  ABSCOND. 


35 


I was  impressed  both  with  the  unusual  sight  of  loafers, 
and  with  the  dissolute  look  of  the  place,  arising  from 
the  number  oijoroyas,  and  from  the  number  rf  yadoya& 
that  are  also  haunts  of  the  vicious.  I could  only  get  a 
very  small  room  in  a very  poor  and  dirty  inn,  but  there 
were  no  mosquitoes,  and  I got  a good  meal  of  fish.  On 
sending  to  order  horses  I found  that  everything  was 
arranged  for  my  journey.  The  Governor  sent  his  card 
early,  to  know  if  there  were  anything  I should  like  to 
see  or  do,  but  as  the  morning  was  grey  and  threatening, 
I wished  to  push  on,  and  at  9.30  I was  in  the  kuruma  at 
the  inn  door.  I call  it  the  kuruma  because  it  is  the  only 
one,  and  is  kept  by  the  Government  for  the  conveyance 
of  hospital  patients.  I sat  there  uncomfortably  and 
patiently  for  half  an  hour,  my  only  amusement  being 
the  flirtations  of  Ito  with  a very  pretty  girl.  Loiterers 
assembled,  but  no  one  came  to  draw  the  vehicle,  and 
by  degrees  the  dismal  truth  leaked  out,  that  the  three 
coolies  who  had  been  impressed  for  the  occasion  had  all 
absconded,  and  that  four  policemen  were  in  search  of 
them.  I walked  on  in  a dawdling  way  up  the  steep 
hill  which  leads  from  the  town,  met  Mr.  Akboshi,  a 
pleasant  J^oung  Japanese  surveyor,  who  spoke  English, 
and  stigmatised  Mororan  as  “ the  worst  place  in  Yezo  ; ” 
and  after  fuming  for  two  hours  at  the  waste  of  time, 
was  overtaken  by  Ito  with  the  horses,  in  a boiling  rage. 
“ They’re  the  worst  and  wickedest  coolies  in  all  Japan,” 
he  stammered ; “ two  more  ran  away,  and  now  three  are 
coming,  and  have  got  paid  for  four,  and  the  first  three 
who  ran  away  got  paid,  and  the  Express  man’s  so 
ashamed  for  a foreigner,  and  the  Governor’s  in  a furi- 
ous rage.” 

Except  for  the  loss  of  time,  it  made  no  difference  to 
me,  but  when  the  kuruma  did  come  up  the  runners  were 
three  such  ruffianly-looking  men,  and  weie  dressed  so 


36 


UNBEATEN  TRACES  IN  JAPAN. 


wildly  in  bark  cloth,  that,  in  sending  Ito  on  twelve 
miles  to  secure  relays,  I sent  my  money  along  with  him. 
These  men,  though  there  were  three  instead  of  two 
never  went  out  of  a walk,  and,  as  if  on  purpose,  took 
the  vehicle  over  every  stone,  and  into  every  rut,  and 
kept  up  a savage  chorus  of  “ haes-ha,  haes-hora,'^  the 
whole  time,  as  if  they  were  pulling  stone-carts.  There 
are  really  no  runners  out  of  Hakodate,  and  the  men 
don’t  know  how  to  pull,  and  hate  doing  it. 

Mororan  Bay  is  truly  beautiful  from  the  top  of  the 
ascent.  The  coast  scenery  of  Japan  generally  is  the 
loveliest  I have  ever  seen,  except  that  of  a portion  of 
windward  Hawaii,  and  this  yields  in  beauty  to  none. 
The  irregular  grey  town,  with  a grey  temple  on  the 
height  above,  straggles  round  the  little  bay  on  a steep, 
wooded  terrace ; hills,  densely  wooded,  and  with  a per- 
fect entanglement  of  large-leaved  trailers,  descend 
abruptly  to  the  water’s  edge ; the  festoons  of  the  vines 
are  mirrored  in  the  still  waters ; and  above  the  dark 
forest,  and  beyond  the  gleaming  sea,  rises  the  red, 
peaked  top  of  the  volcano.  Then  the  road  dips 
abruptly  to  sandy  swellings,  rising  into  bold  headlands 
here  and  there ; and  for  the  first  time  I saw  the  surge 
of  5000  miles  of  unbroken  ocean  break  upon  the  shore. 
Glimpses  of  the  Pacific,  an  uncultivated,  swampy  level 
quite  uninhabited,  and  distant  hills  mainly  covered  with 
forest,  made  up  the  landscape  till  I reached  Horobets,  a 
mixed  Japanese  and  Aino  village  built  upon  the  sand 
near  the  sea. 

In  these  mixed  villages  the  Ainos  are  compelled  to 
live  at  a respectful  distance  from  the  Japanese,  and  fre- 
quently outnumber  them,  as  at  Horobets,  where  there 
are  forty-seven  Aino  and  only  eighteen  Japanese  houses. 
The  Aino  village  looks  larger  than  it  really  is,  because 
nearly  every  house  has  a kura,  raised  six  feet  from  tho 


AINO  HOUSES. 


37 


ground  by  wooden  stilts.  When  I am  better  acquainted 
with  tlie  houses  I shall  describe  them ; at  present  I will 
only  say  that  they  do  not  resemble  the  Japanese  houses 
so  much  as  the  Polynesian,  as  they  are  made  of  reeds 
very  neatly  tied  upon  a wooden  framework.  They 
have  small  windows,  and  roofs  of  a very  great  height, 
and  steep  pitch,  with  the  thatch  in  a series  of  very  neat 
frills,  and  the  ridge  poles  covered  with  reeds,  and  orna- 
mented. The  coast  Ainos  are  nearly  all  engaged  in 
fishing,  but  at  this  season  the  men  hunt  deer  in  the  for- 
ests. On  this  coast  there  are  several  names  com 


AINO  6TORS-HOUSB  AT  HOBOBBTB. 


pounded  with  hets  or  pets,  the  Aino  for  a river,  such  as 
Ilorobets,  Yubets,  Mombets,  etc. 

J found  that  Ito  had  been  engaged  for  a whole  hour 
in  a violent  altercation,  which  was  caused  by  the 
Transport  Agent  refusing  to  supply  runners  for  the 
iuruma,  saying  that  no  one  in  Horobets  would  draw 
one,  but  on  my  producing  the  shomon  I was  at  once 
started  on  my  journey  of  sixteen  miles  with  three  Jap- 
anese lads,  Ito  riding  on  to  Shiradi  to  get  my  room 
ready.  1 think  that  the  Transport  OfiSces  in  Yezo  are 
in  Government  hands.  In  a few  minutes  three  Ainos 


38 


UNBEATEN  TRACKS  IN  JAPAN. 


ran  out  of  a house,  took  the  Icuruma.,  and  went  the 
whole  stage  without  stopping.  They  took  a hoy  and 
three  saddled  horses  along  with  them  to  bring  them 
back,  and  rode  and  hauled  alternately,  two  youths 
always  attached  to  the  shafts,  and  a man  pushing 
behind.  They  were  very  kind,  and  so  courteous,  after 
a new  fashion,  that  I quite  forgot  that  I was  alone 
among  savages.  The  lads  were  young  and  beardless, 


AINO  LODGES  {From  a Japanese  Sketch). 


their  lips  were  thick,  and  their  mouths  very  wide,  and 
I thought  that  they  approached  more  nearly  to  the 
Eskimo  type  than  to  any  other.  They  had  masses  of 
soft  black  hair  falling  on  each  side  of  their  faces.  The 
adult  man  was  not  a pure  Aino.  His  dark  hair  was 
not  very  thick,  and  both  it  and  his  beard  had  an  occa- 
sional auburn  gleam.  I think  I never  saw  a face  more 
completely  beautiful  in  features  and  expression,  witlj 


A BEAUTIFUL  AINO. 


3‘J 


a lofty,  sad,  far-off,  gentle,  intellectual  look,  ratliei 
that  of  Sir  Noel  Paton’s  “ Christ  ” than  of  a savage 
His  manner  was  most  graceful,  and  he  spoke  both  Aino 
and  Japanese  in  the  low  musical  tone  which  I find  is 
a characteristic  of  Aino  speech.  These  Ainos  never 
took  off  their  clothes,  but  merely  let  them  fall  from  one 
or  both  shoulders  when  it  was  very  warm. 

The  road  from  Horobets  to  Shira6i  is  very  solitary, 
with  not  more  than  four  or  five  houses  the  whole  way. 
It  is  broad  and  straiglit,  except  wlien  it  ascends  hills, 
or  turns  inland  to  cross  rivers,  and  is  carried  across  a 
broad  swampy  level,  covered  with  tall  wild  flowers, 
which  extends  from  the  high  beach  thrown  up  by  the 
sea  for  two  miles  inland,  where  there  is  a lofty  wall  of 
wooded  rock,  and  beyond  this  the  forest-covered  moun- 
tains of  the  interior.  On  the  top  of  the  raised  beach 
there  were  Aino  hamlets,  and  occasionally  a nearly 
overpowering  stench  came  across  the  level  from  the 
sheds  and  apparatus  used  for  extracting  fish-oil.  I 
enjoyed  the  afternoon  thoroughly.  It  is  so  good  to 
have  got  beyond  the  confines  of  stereotyped  civilisa- 
tion, and  the  trammels  of  Japanese  travelling,  to  the 
solitude  of  nature,  and  an  atmosphere  of  freedom.  It 
was  grey,  with  a hard,  dark  line  of  ocean  horizon,  and 
over  the  weedy  level  the  grey  road,  with  grey  tele- 
graph poles  along  it,  stretched  wearisomely  like  a grey 
thread.  The  breeze  came  up  from  the  sea,  rustled  the 
reeds,  and  waved  the  tall  plumes  of  the  Eulalia  Japan- 
ica^  and  the  thunder  of  the  Pacific  surges  boomed 
through  the  air  with  its  grand,  deep  bass.  Poetry  and 
music  pervaded  the  solitude,  and  my  spirit  was  rested. 

Going  up  and  then  down  a steep,  wooded  hill,  the 
road  appeared  to  return  to  its  original  state  of  brush- 
wood, and  the  men  stopped  at  the  broken  edge  of  a 
declivity  which  led  down  to  a shingle  bank  and  a foam- 


40 


UNBEATEN  TRACKS  IN  JAPAN. 


crested  river  of  clear,  blue-green  water,  strong]}’’  im 
pregnated  with  sulphur  from  some  medicinal  spring? 
above,  with  a steep  baidc  of  tangle  on  the  opposite 
side.  This  beautiful  stream  was  crossed  by  two  round 
poles,  a foot  apart,  on  which  I attempted  to  walk,  with 
the  help  of  an  Aino  hand;  but  the  poles  were  very 
unsteady,  and  I doubt  whether  any  one,  even  with  a 
strong  head,  could  walk  on  them  in  boots.  Then  the 
beautiful  Aino  signed  to  me  to  come  back  and  mount 
on  his  shoulders ; but  when  he  had  got  a few  feet  out 
the  poles  swayed  and  trembled  so  much,  tliat  he  was 
obliged  to  retrace  liis  way  cautiously,  during  which 
process  I endured  miseries  from  dizziness  and  fear ; 
after  which  he  carried  me  through  the  rushing  water, 
which  was  up  to  his  shoulders,  and  through  a bit  of 
swampy  jungle,  and  up  a steep  bank,  to  the  great 
fatigue  both  of  body  and  mind,  hardly  mitigated  by 
the  enjoyment  of  the  ludicrous  in  riding  a savage 
through  these  Yezo  waters.  They  dexterously  carried 
the  kuruma  through,  on  the  shoulders  of  four,  and 
showed  extreme  anxiety  that  neither  it  nor  I should 
get  wet.  After  this  we  crossed  two  deep,  still  rivers, 
in  scows,  and  far  above  the  grey  level  and  the  grey  sea, 
the  sun  was  setting  in  gold  and  vermilion-streaked 
green  behind  a glorified  mountain  of  great  height,  at 
whose  feet  the  forest-covered  hills  lay  in  purple  gloom. 
At  dark  we  reached  Shiraoi,  a village  of  eleven  Jap- 
anese houses,  with  a village  of  fifty-one  Aino  houses, 
near  the  sea.  There  is  a large  yadoya  of  the  old  style 
there ; but  I found  that  Ito  had  chosen  a very  pretty 
new  one,  with  four  stalls  open  to  the  road,  in  the  centre 
one  of  winch  I foimd  him,  with  the  welcome  news  that 
a steak  of  fresh  salmon  was  broiling  on  the  coals ; and 
as  the  room  was  clean  and  sweet,  and  I was  very  hun- 
gry, I enjoyed  my  meal  by  the  light  of  a rush  in  a 
saucer  of  fish-oil  as  much  as  any  part  of  the  day. 


FLORAL  BEAUTIES. 


41 


Sakdfuio. 

The  night  was  too  cold  for  sleep,  and  at  da3^break 
hearing  a great  din,  I looked  out,  and  saw  a drove  o 
full^"  a hundred  horses  all  galloping  down  the  road, 
with  two  Ainos  on  horseback,  and  a number  of  big 
dogs  after  them.  Hundreds  of  horses  run  nearly  wild 
on  the  hills,  and  the  Ainos,  getting  a large  drove  to- 
gether, skilfully  head  them  for  the  entrance  into  the 
corral,  in  which  a selection  of  them  is  made  for  the 
day’s  needs,  and  the  remainder — that  is,  those  with 
the  deepest  sores  on  their  backs  — are  turned  loose. 
This  dull  rattle  of  shoeless  feet  is  the  first  sound  in 
the  morning  in  these  Yezo  villages.  I sent  Ito  on 
early,  and  followed  at  nine  with  three  Ainos.  The 
road  is  perfectly  level  for  thirteen  miles,  through 
gravel  flats  and  swamps,  very  monotonous,  but  with 
a wild  charm  of  its  own.  There  were  swampy  lakes, 
with  wild  ducks  and  small  white  water-lilies,  and  the 
surrounding  levels  were  covered  with  reedy  grass, 
flowers,  and  weeds.  The  earl}'-  autumn  has  withered 
a great  many  of  the  flowers ; but  enough  remains  to 
show  how  beautiful  the  now  russet  plains  must  have 
been  in  the  early  summer.  A dwarf  rose,  of  a deep 
crimson  colour,  with  orange,  medlar-shaped  hips,  as 
large  as  crabs,  and  corollas  three  inches  across,  is  one 
of  the  features  of  Yezo ; and  besides,  there  is  a large 
rose-red  convolvulus,  a blue  campanula,  with  tiers  of 
bells,  a blue  monkshood  the  Aconitum  Japonicum,  the 
flaunting  Calystegia  soldanella,  purple  asters,  grass  of 
Parnassus,  yellow  lilies,  and  a remarkable  trailer,  whose 
delicate  leafage  looked  quite  out  of  place  among  its 
coarse  surroundings,  with  a purplish-brown  campanu- 
late  blossom,  only  remarkable  for  a peculiar  arrange- 
ment of  the  pistil,  green  stamens,  and  a most  offensive 
carrion-like  odour,  which  is  probably  to  attract  to  it  a 


42 


UNBEATEN  TRACKS  IN  JAPAN. 


very  objectionable-looking  fly,  for  purposes  of  fertilisa 
tion. 

We  overtook  four  Aino  women,  yoimg  and  comely, 
with  bare  feet,  striding  flrmly  along ; and  after  a good 
deal  of  laughing  with  the  men,  they  took  hold  of  the 
kuruma,  and  the  whole  seven  raced  with  it  at  full  speed 
for  half  a mile,  shrieking  with  laughter.  Soon  after 
we  came  upon  a little  tea-house,  and  the  Ainos  showed 
me  a straw  package,  and  pointed  to  their  open  mouths, 
by  which  I understood  that  they  wished  to  stop  and 
eat.  Later  we  overtook  four  Japanese  on  horseback, 
and  the  Ainos  raced  with  them  for  a considerable  dis- 
tance — the  result  of  these  spurts  being  that  I reached 
Tomakomai  at  noon,  a wide,  dreary  place,  with  houses 
roofed  with  sod,  bearing  luxuriant  crops  of  weeds. 
Near  this  place  is  the  volcano  of  Tarumai,  a calm- 
looking grey  cone,  whose  skirts  are  draped  by  tens  of 
thousands  of  dead  trees.  So  calm  and  grey  had  it 
looked  for  many  a year,  that  people  supposed  it  had 
passed  into  endless  rest,  when  quite  lately,  on  a sultry 
day,  it  blew  off  its  cap,  and  covered  the  whole  countiy 
for  many  a mile  with  cinders  and  ashes,  burning  up  the 
forest  on  its  sides,  adding  a new  covering  to  the  Tom- 
akomai roofs,  and  depositing  fine  ash  as  far  as  Cape 
Erimo,  fifty  miles  off. 

At  this  place  the  road  and  telegraph  wires  turn  inland 
to  Satsuporo,  and  a track  for  horses  only  turns  to  the 
north-east,  and  straggles  round  the  island  for  about 
seven  hundred  miles.  From  jMororan  to  Sarufuto  there 
are  everywhere  traces  of  new  and  old  volcanic  action, 
pumice,  tiffas,  conglomerates,  and  occasional  beds  of 
hard  basalt,  all  covered  with  recent  pumice,  which, 
from  Shiradi  eastward,  conceals  everything.  At  Toma- 
komai we  took  horses,  and,  as  T brought  my  own  sad- 
dle, I have  had  the  nearest  approach  to  real  riding  that 


AN  UNBEATEN  TRACK. 


4? 


[ have  enjoyed  in  Japan.  The  wife  of  a Satsuporo  doc- 
tor was  there,  wlio  was  travelling  for  two  hundred  miles 
astride  on  a pack-saddle,  with  rope-looi^s  for  stirrups. 
She  rode  well,  and  vaulted  into  my  saddle  with  circus- 
like dexterity,  and  performed  many  equestrian  feats 
upon  it,  telling  me  that  she  should  be  quite  happy  if 
she  were  possessed  of  it. 

I was  happy  when  I left  the  “beaten  track”  to 
Satsuporo,  and  saw  before  me,  stretching  for  I know 
not  how  far,  rolling,  sandy  machirs  like  those  of  the 
Outer  Hebrides,  desert-like  and  lonely,  covered  almost 
altogether  with  dwarf  roses  and  campanulas,  a prairie 
land  on  which  you  can  make  any  tracks  you  please. 
Sending  the  others  on,  I followed  them  at  the  Yezo 
scramble.,  and  soon  ventured  on  a long  gallop,  and  rev- 
elled in  the  music  of  the  thud  of  shoeless  feet  over  the 
elastic  soil,  but  I had  not  realised  the  peculiarities  of 
Yezo  steeds,  and  had  forgotten  to  ask  whether  mine 
was  a “front  horse,”  and  just  as  we  were  going  at  full 
speed  we  came  nearly  up  with  the  others,  and  my  horse 
coming  abruptly  to  a full  stop,  I went  six  feet  over  his 
head  among  the  rose-bushes.  Ito  looking  back  saw  me 
tightening  the  saddle-girths,  and  I never  divulged  this 
escapade. 

After  riding  eight  miles  along  this  breezy  belt,  with 
the  sea  on  one  side  and  forests  on  the  other,  we  came 
upon  Yubets,  a place  which  has  fascinated  me  so  much 
that  I intend  to  return  to  it,  but  T must  confess  that  its 
fascinations  depend  rather  upon  what  it  has  not  than 
upon  what  it  has,  and  Ito  says  that  it  would  kill  him  to 
spend  even  two  days  there.  It  looks  like  the  end  of 
all  things,  as  if  loneliness  and  desolation  could  go  no 
farther.  A sandy  stretch  on  three  sides,  a river  arrested 
in  its  progress  to  the  sea,  and  compelled  to  wander  tt  di- 
ously  in  search  of  an  outlet  by  the  height  and  mass  of 


44 


UNBEATEN  TRACKS  IN  JAPAN. 


the  beach  thrown  up  bj  the  Pacific,  a distant  forest* 
belt  rising  into  featureless,  wooded  ranges  in  shades  of 
indigo  and  grey,  and  a never-absent  consciousness  of  a 
vast  ocean  just  out  of  sight,  are  the  environments  of 
two  high  look-outs,  some  sheds  for  fish-oil  purposes, 
four  or  five  Japanese  houses,  four  Aino  huts  on  the  top 
of  the  beach  across  the  river,  and  a grey  barrack,  con 
sisting  of  a polished  passage  eighty  feet  long,  with  small 
rooms  on  either  side,  at  one  end  a gravelled  yard,  with 
two  quiet  rooms  opening  upon  it,  and  at  the  other  an 
immense  daidokoro.,  with  dark  recesses  and  blackened 
rafters,  a haunted-looking  abode.  One  would  suppose 
that  there  had  been  a special  object  in  setting  the 
houses  down  at  weary  distances  from  each  other.  Few 
as  they  are,  they  are  not  all  inhabited  at  this  season, 
and  all  that  can  be  seen  is  grey  sand,  sparse  grass,  and 
a few  savages  creeping  about. 

Nothing  that  T have  seen  has  made  such  an  impres- 
sion upon  me  as  that  ghostly,  ghastly  fishing-station. 
In  the  long  grey  wall  oi  the  long  grey  barrack  there 
were  many  dismal  windows,  and  when  we  hooted  for 
admission  a stupid  face  appeared  at  one  of  them  and 
disappeared.  Then  a grey  gateway  opened,  and  we 
rode  into  a yard  of  grej^  gravel,  with  some  silent  rooms 
opening  upon  it.  The  solitude  of  the  thirty  or  forty 
rooms  which  lie  between  it  and  the  kitchen,  and  which 
are  now  filled  with  nets  and  fishing-tackle,  was  some- 
thing awful,  and  as  the  wind  swept  along  the  polished 
passage,  rattling  the  fusuma.,  and  lifting  the  shingles  on 
the  roof,  and  the  rats  careered  from  end  to  end,  I went 
to  the  great  black  daidokoro  in  search  of  social  life,  and 
found  a few  embers  and  an  andon,  and  nothing  else  but 
the  stupid-faced  man  deploring  his  fate,  and  two  orphar 
boys  whose  lot  he  makes  more  wretched  than  his  own. 
In  the  fishing  season  this  barrack  accommodates  fi'oa' 
200  to  300  men. 


SOLITUDE  AND  EERINESS. 


45 


I started  to  the  sea-shore,  crossing  the  dreary  river, 
and  found  open  sheds  much  blackened,  deserted  huts  of 
reeds,  long  sheds  with  a nearly  insufferable  odour  from 
caldrons  in  which  oil  had  been  extracted  from  last 
year’s  fish,  two  or  three  Aino  huts,  and  two  or  three 
grand-looking  Ainos,  clothed  in  skins,  striding  like 
ghosts  over  the  sandbanks,  a number  of  wolfish  dogs, 
some  log  canoes  or  “ dug-outs,”  the  bones  of  a wrecked 
junk,  a quantity  of  bleached  drift-wood,  a beach  of 
dark-grey  sand,  and  a tossing  expanse  of  dark-grey 
ocean  under  a dull  and  windy  sky.  On  this  part  of 
the  coast  the  Pacific  spends  its  fury,  and  has  raised  up 
at  a short  distance  above  high-water  mark  a sandy 
sweep  of  such  a height  that  when  you  descend  its  sea- 
ward slope  you  see  nothing  but  the  sea  and  the  sky, 
and  a grey,  curving  shore,  covered  tliick  for  many  a 
lonely  mile  with  fantastic  forms  of  whitened  drift-wood, 
the  shattered  wrecks  of  forest-trees,  which  are  carried 
down  by  the  innumerable  rivers,  till,  after  tossing  foi 
weeks  and  months  along  with 

“ wrecks  of  ships,  and  drifting 

spars  uplifting 
On  the  desolate,  rainy  seas  : 

Ever  drifting,  drifting,  drifting, 

On  the  shifting 

Currents  of  the  restless  main ; ” 

the  “toiling  surges  ” cast  them  on  Yubets  beach,  and 
“ All  have  found  repose  again.” 

A grim  repose ! 

The  deep  boom  of  the  surf  was  music,  and  the  strange 
cries  of  sea-birds,  and  the  hoarse  notes  of  the  audacious 
black  crows,  were  all  harmonious,  for  nature,  when  left 
to  herself,  never  produces  discords  either  in  sound  oi 
colour. 


16 


UNBEATEN  TRACKS  IN  JAPAN. 


A MEETING. 

The  Harmonies  of  Xature  — A Good  Horse  — A Single  Discord  — A 
Forest  — Aino  Ferrymen — “ Les  Puces  I Les  Puces  1'' — Baffled 
Explorers  — Ito’s  Contempt  for  Ainos  — An  Aino  Introduction. 

Sabututo. 

No ! Nature  has  no  discords.  This  morning,  to  the 
far  horizon,  diamond-flashing  blue  water  shimmered  in 
perfect  peace,  outlined  by  a line  of  surf  which  broke 
lazily  on  a beach  scarcely  less  snowy  than  itseK.  The 
deep,  perfect  blue  of  the  sky  was  only  broken  by  a few 
radiant  white  clouds,  whose  shadows  trailed  slowly  over 
the  plain  on  whose  broad  bosom  a thousand  corollas,  in 
the  glory  of  their  brief  but  passionate  life,  were  drink- 
ing in  the  sunshine,  wavy  ranges  slept  in  depths  of 
indigo,  and  higher  hills  beyond  were  painted  in  faint 
blue  on  the  dreamy  sky.  Even  the  few  grey  houses  of 
Yubets  were  spiritualised  into  harmony  by  a faint  blue 
veil  which  was  not  a mist,  and  the  loud  croak  of  the 
loquacious  and  impertinent  crows  had  a cheeriness 
about  it,  a hearty  mockery,  which  I liked. 

Above  all,  I had  a horse  so  good  that  he  was  always 
trying  to  run  away,  and  galloped  so  lightly  over  the 
flowery  grass  that  I rode  the  seventeen  miles  here  with 
great  enjoyment.  Truly  a good  horse,  good  ground  to 
gallop  on,  and  sunshine,  make  up  the  sum  of  enjoyable 
travelling.  The  discord  in  the  general  harmony  was 
produced  by  the  sight  of  the  Ainos,  a harmless  people 
without  the  instinct  of  progress,  descending  to  that  \ ast 


A FOREST. 


47 


tomb  of  conquered  and  unknown  races  which  has 
opened  to  receive  so  many  before  them.  A mounted 
policeman  started  with  us  from  Yubets,  and  rode  the 
whole  way  here,  keeping  exactly  to  my  pace,  but  never 
speaking  a word.  We  forded  one  broad,  deep  river, 
and  crossed  another,  partly  by  fording  and  partly  in  a 
scow,  after  which  the  track  left  the  level,  and  after 
passmg  through  reedy  grass  as  high  as  the  horse’s  ears, 
went  for  some  miles  up  and  down  hill,  through  woods 
composed  entirely  of  the  Ailatithus  glandulosus,  with 
leaves  much  riddled  by  the  mountain  silk-worm,  and  a 
ferny  undergrowth  of  the  familiar  Pteris  aquilina.  The 
deep  shade  and  glancing  lights  of  this  open  copsewood 
were  very  pleasant ; and  as  the  horse  tripped  gaily  up 
and  down  the  little  hills,  and  the  sea  murmur  mingled 
with  the  rustle  of  the  breeze,  and  a glint  of  white  surf 
sometimes  flashed  through  the  greenery,  and  dragon-flies 
and  butterflies  in  suits  of  crimson  and  black  velvet 
crossed  the  path  continually  like  “ living  flashes  ” of 
light,  I was  reminded  somewhat,  though  faintly,  of 
windward  Hawaii.  We  emerged  upon  an  Aino  hut 
and  a beautiful  placid  river,  and  two  Ainos  ferried  the 
four  people  and  horses  across  in  a scow,  the  third  wad- 
ing to  guide  the  boat.  They  wore  no  clothing,  but  only 
one  was  hairy.  They  were  superb-looking  men,  gentle, 
and  extremely  courteous,  handing  me  in  and  out  of  the 
boat,  and  holding  the  stirrup  while  I mounted,  with 
much  natural  grace.  On  leaving  they  extended  their 
arms  and  waved  their  hands  inwards  twice,  stroking 
their  grand  beards  afterwards,  which  is  their  usual  salu- 
tation. A short  distance  over  shingle  brought  us  to 
this  Japanese  village  of  sixty-three  houses,  a colonisation 
settlement,  mainly  of  samurai  from  the  province  of 
Sendai,  who  are  raising  A'ory  fine  crops  on  the  sandy 
soil.  The  mountains,  twelve  miles  in  the  interior,  have 


48 


UNBEATEN  TRACKS  IN  JAPAN. 


a large  Aino  population,  ^ and  a few  Ainos  live  near  this 
village  and  are  held  in  great  contempt  by  its  inhabitants 
My  room  is  on  the  village  street,  and  as  it  is  too  warm 
to  (ilose  the  slioji.,  the  aborigines  stand  looking  in  at  the 
lattice  hour  after  hour. 

A short  time  ago  Mr.  Von  Siebold  and  Count  Dies- 
bach  galloped  up  on  their  return  from  Biratori,  the  Aino 
village  to  wliich  I am  going ; and  Count  D.,  throwing 
himself  from  his  horse,  rushed  up  to  me  with  the  ex- 
clamation, Les  Puces!  Les  Puces!  They  have  brought 
down  with  them  the  cliief,  Benri,  a superb  but  dissi- 
pated-looking savage.  IMr  Von  Siebold  called  on  me 
this  evening,  and  I envied  him  his  fresh,  clean  clothing 
as  much  as  he  envied  me  my  stretcher  and  mosquito- 
net.  They  have  suffered  terribly  from  fleas,  mosquitoes, 
and  general  discomfort,  and  are  much  exhausted ; but 
Mr.  Von  S.  thinks  that  in  spite  of  all,  a visit  to  the 
mountain  Ainos  is  worth  a long  jonrney.  As  I ex- 
pected, they  have  completelj^  failed  in  their  explorations, 
and  have  been  deserted  by  Lieutenant  Kreitner.  I 
asked  Mr.  Von  S.  to  speak  to  Ito  in  Japanese  about  the 
importance  of  being  kind  and  courteous  to  the  Ainos 
whose  hospitality  I shall  receive ; and  Ito  is  very  in- 
dignant at  this.  “ Treat  Ainos  politely  ! ’’  he  says ; 
“ They’re  just  dogs,  not  men  ; ” and  since  he  has  regaled 


1 It  is  impossible  to  state  with  any  exactness  the  Aino  population  of 
Yezo.  Mr.  Enslie,  who  was  H.B.M.’s  acting  consul  at  ITakodate  from 
18G1  to  18G.S,  gives  it  as  200,000 ! Foreigners  in  Tezo  during  my  A-isit 
estimated  it  at  25,000.  The  Statistical  Department  of  the  Japanese 
Government  gave  it  to  me  as  12,000,  but  with  a qualification,  as  stated  in 
the  “ Notes  on  Yezo.”  I am  much  inclined  to  think  that  this  may  be 
under  the  mark  by  some  thousands,  as  smallpox,  which  caused  a con- 
siderable decline  in  their  numbers,  has  ceased.  They  are  a healthy 
people,  the  children  are  not  carried  off  by  infantile  diseases  ; and  though 
there  are  rarely  more  than  five  in  a family,  they  usually  live  ■'•o  grow  up. 
I hazard  this  conjecture  as  to  their  larger  numbers  from  the  population 
which  I ascertained  to  exist  in  eight  of  their  villages. 


AN  JINO  INTBODUCTION. 


49 


me  with  all  the  scandal  concerning  them  which  he  has 
been  able  to  rake  together  in  the  village. 

We  have  to  take  not  only  food  for  both  Ito  and  my- 
self, but  cooking  utensils.  I have  been  introduced  to 
Benri,  the  chief;  and  though  he  does  not  return  fora 
day  or  two,  he  will  send  a message  along  with  us  which 
wiU  ensure  me  hospitality.  I.  L.  B. 


50 


UNBEATEN  TRACKS  IN  JAPAN. 


LIVING  WITH  THE  AINOS. 

Savage  Life — A Forest  Track — Cleanly  Villages  — A Hospitable 
Eeception  — The  Chief’s  Mother  — The  Evening  Meal  — A Sav- 
age Seance  — Libations  to  the  Gods  — Nocturnal  Silence  — Aino 
Courtesy  — The  Cliief’s  Wife. 

Aino  Hot,  Biratori,  August  23. 

I AM  in  the  lonely  Aino  land,  and  I think  that  the 
most  interesting  of  my  travelling  experiences  has  been 
the  living  for  three  days  and  two  nights  in  an  Aino  hut. 


AINO  HOUSES. 


and  seeing  and  sharing  the  daily  life  of  complete  sav- 
ages, who  go  on  with  their  ordiiiaiy  occupations  just  as 
if  I were  not  among  them.  I found  yesterday  a most 


bAVAGE  LIFE. 


51 


fatiguing  and  over-exciting  day,  as  everything  was  new 
and  interesting,  even  the  extracting  from  men  who 
have  few  if  any  ideas  in  common  with  me,  all  I could 
extract  concerning  their  religion  and  customs,  and  that 
through  an  interpreter.  I got  up  at  six  tliis  morning 
to  write  out  my  notes,  and  have  been  writing  for  five 


A1N08  AT  HOME  {From  a Japaneae  SkHih). 


hours,  and  there  is  shortly  the  prospect  of  another  sa'v  ■ 
age  seance.  The  distractions,  as  you  can  imagine,  are 
many.  At  this  moment  a savage  is  taking  a cup  of 
sake  by  the  fire  in  the  centre  of  the  floor.  He  salutes 
me  by  extending  his  hands  and  waving  them  towards 
his  face,  and  then  dips  a rod  in  the  sake,  and  makes  six 
libations  to  the  god  — an  upright  piece  of  wood  with  a 


52 


UNBEATEN  TRACKS  IN  JAPAN. 


fringe  of  shavings  planted  in  the  floor  of  the  room. 
Then  he  waves  the  cup  several  times  towards  himself, 
makes  other  libations  to  the  Are,  and  drinks.  Ten 
other  men  and  women  are  sitting  along  each  side  of  the 
flre-hole,  the  chief’s  wife  is  cooking,  the  men  are  apa- 
ihetically  contemplating  the  preparation  of  theii’  food  . 
and  the  other  women,  who  are  never  idle,  are  splitting 
vhe  bark  of  wliich  they  make  theii’  clothes.  I occupy  the 
fuest  seat  — a raised  platform  at  one  end  of  the  fire, 
vith  the  skin  of  a black  bear  thrown  over  it. 

I have  reserved  all  I have  to  say  about  the  Ainos  till 
[ had  been  actually  among  them,  and  I hope  you  will 
have  patience  to  read  to  the  end.  Ito  is  very  greedy 
and  self-indulgent,  and  whimpered  very  much  about 
coming  to  Biratori  at  all,  — one  would  have  thought  he 
was  going  to  the  stake.  He  actually  borrowed  for  him- 
self a sleeping-mat  and  futons.,  and  has  brought  a 
chicken,  onions,  potatoes,  French  beans,  Japanese  sauce, 
tea,  rice,  a kettle,  a stew-pan,  and  a rice-pan,  while  I 
contented  myself  with  a cold  fowl  and  potatoes. 

We  took  three  horses  and  a mounted  Aino  guide,  and 
found  a beaten  track  the  whole  way.  It  turns  into  the 
forest  at  once  on  leaving  Sarufuto,  and  goes  through 
forest  the  entire  distance,  with  an  abundance  of  reedy 
grass  higher  than  my  hat  on  horseback  along  it,  and  as 
it  is  only  twelve  inches  broad  and  much  overgrown,  the 
horses  were  constantly  pushing  through  leafage  soaking 
from  a night’s  ram,  and  I was  soon  wet  up  to  my  shoul- 
ders. The  forest  trees  are  almost  solely  the  Ailanthus 
glandulosus  and  the  Zclkoiva  keahi,  often  matted 
together  with  a white-flowered  trailer  of  the  Hydrangea 
genus.  The  imdergrowth  is  siinpl}'  hideous,  consisting 
mainly  of  coarse  reedy  grass,  monstrous  docks,  the  large- 
leaved  Polygonum  cuspidatum,  several  umbelliferous 
plants,  and  a “ragweed,”  which,  like  most  of  its  gawkv 


A FOREST  TRACK. 


53 


fellows,  grows  from  five  to  six  feet  high.  The  forest  is 
dark  and  very  silent,  threaded  b / this  narrow  path,  and 
by  others  as  narrow,  made  by  the  hunters  in  search  of 
game.  The  “ main  road  ” sometimes  plunges  into  deep 
bogs,  at  others  is  roughly  corduroyed  by  the  roots  of 
trees,  and  frequently  hangs  over  the  edge  of  abrupt 
and  much-worn  declivities,  in  going  up  one  of  which 
the  baggage-horse  rolled  down  a bank  fully  thirty  feet 
high,  and  nearly  all  the  tea  was  lost.  At  another  the 
guide’s  pack-saddle  lost  its  balance,  and  man,  horse, 
and  saddle  went  over  the  slope,  pots,  pans,  and  pack- 
ages flying  after  them.  At  another  time  my  horse  sank 
up  to  his  chest  in  a very  bad  bog,  and  as  he  was  totally 
unable  to  extricate  himself,  I was  obliged  to  scramble 
upon  his  neck  and  jump  to  terra  firma  over  his  ears. 

There  is  something  very  gloomy  in  the  solitude  of 
this  silent  land,  with  its  beast-haunted  forests,  its  great 
patches  of  pasture,  the  resort  of  wild  animals  which 
haunt  the  lower  regions  in  search  of  food  when  the 
snow  drives  them  down  from  the  mountains,  and  its 
narrow  track,  indicating  the  single  file  in  which  the 
savages  of  the  interior  walk  with  their  bare,  noiseless 
feet.  Reaching  the  Sarufutogawa,  a river  with  a 
treacherous  bottom,  in  which  Mr.  Von  Siebold  and  his 
horse  came  to  grief,  I hailed  an  Aino  boy,  who  took  me 
up  the  stream  in  a “dug-out,”  and  after  that  we  passed 
through  Biroka,  Saruba,  and  Mina,  all  purely  Aino  vil- 
lages, situated  among  small  patches  of  millet,  tobacco, 
and  pumpkins,  so  choked  with  weeds  that  it  was  doubt- 
ful whether  they  were  crops.  I was  much  surprised 
with  the  extreme  neatness  and  cleanliness  outside  the 
houses ; “ model  villages  ” they  are  in  these  respects, 
with  no  litter  lying  in  sight  anywhere,  nothing  indeed 
but  dog  troughs,  hollowed  out  of  logs,  like  “dug-outs,” 
for  the  numerous  yellow  dogs,  which  are  a featiire  of 


54 


UNBEATEN  TRACKS  IN  JAPAN. 


Aino  life.  There  are  neither  puddles  nor  heaps,  but 
the  houses,  all  trim  and  in  good  repair,  rise  clean  out 
of  the  sandy  soil. 

Biratori,  the  largest  of  the  Aino  settlements  in  this 
region,  is  very  prettily  situated  among  forests  and 
mountains,  on  rising  ground,  with  a very  sinuous  river 
winding  at  its  feet  and  a wooded  height  above.  A 
lonelier  place  could  scarcely  be  found.  As  we  passed 
among  the  houses  the  yellow  dogs  barked,  the  women 
looked  shy  and  smiled,  and  the  men  made  their  grace- 
ful salutation.  We  stopped  at  the  chief’s  house,  where, 
of  course,  we  were  unexpected  guests ; but  Shinondi, 
his  nephew,  and  two  other  men  came  out,  saluted  us, 
and  with  most  hospitable  intent  helped  Ito  to  unload 
the  horses.  Indeed  their  eager  hospitality  created  quite 
a commotion,  one  running  hither  and  the  other  thither 
in  their  anxiety  to  welcome  a stranger.  It  is  a large 
house,  the  room  being  35  by  25,  and  the  roof  20  feet 
high ; but  you  enter  by  an  ante-chamber,  in  which  are 
kept  the  millet-mill  and  other  articles.  There  is  a door- 
way in  this,  but  the  inside  is  pretty  dark,  and  Shinondi, 
taking  my  hand,  raised  the  reed  curtain  bound  with 
hide,  which  concealed  the  entrance  into  the  actual 
house,  and  leading  me  into  it,  retired  a footstep,  ex- 
tended his  arms,  waved  his  hands  inwmrds  tliree  times, 
and  then  stroked  his  beard  several  times,  after  wldch 
he  indicated  b}"  a sweep  of  his  hand  and  a beautiful 
smile  that  the  house  and  all  it  contained  were  mine. 
An  aged  woman,  the  chiefs  mother,  who  was  splitting 
bark  by  the  fire,  waved  her  hands  also.  She  is  the 
queen-regnant  of  the  house. 

Again  taking  m^^  hand,  Shinondi  led  me  to  the  place 
of  honour  at  the  head  of  the  fire,  a rude,  movable  plat- 
form six  feet  long,  by  four  broad,  and  a foot  liigh,  on 
which  he  laid  an  ornamental  mat,  apologising  for  not 


A HOSPITABLE  BECEPTION. 


55 


having  at  that  moment  a bearskin  wherewith  to  cover 
it.  The  baggage  was  speedil}^  brought  in  by  several 
willing  pairs  of  hands  ; some  reed  mats  fifteen  feet  long 
were  laid  down  upon  the  very  coarse  ones  which 
covered  the  whole  floor,  and  when  they  saw  Ito  putting 
up  my  stretcher  they  hung  a fine  mat  along  the  rough 
wall  to  conceal  it,  and  suspended  another  on  the  beams 
of  the  roof  for  a canopy.  The  alacrity  and  instinctive 
hospitality  with  winch  these  men  rushed  about  to  make 


AINO  MILLET-MILL  AND  PESTLE. 


ihings  comfortable  were  very  fascinating,  though  com- 
fort is  a word  misapplied  in  an  Aino  hut.  The  women 
only  did  what  the  men  told  them. 

They  offered  food  at  once,  but  I told  them  that  I had 
brought  my  own,  and  would  only  ask  leave  to  cook  it 
on  their  fire.  I need  not  have  brought  any  cups,  for 
they  have  many  lacquer  bowls,  and  Shinondi  brought 
me  on  a lacquer  tray  a bowl  full  of  water  from  one  of 
their  four  wells.  They  said  that  Benri,  the  chief,  would 
wish  me  to  make  his  house  my  own  for  as  long  as  1 


56 


UNBEATEN  TRACKS  IN  JAPAN. 


cared  to  stay,  and  I must  excuse  them  in  all  things  in 
which  their  ways  were  different  from  my  own.  Shi- 
nondi  and  four  others  in  the  village  speak  tolerable 
Japanese,  and  this  of  course  is  the  medium  of  commu- 
nication. Ito  has  exerted  himself  nobly  as  an  interpre- 
ter, and  has  entered  into  my  wishes  with  a cordialitj 
and  intelligence  which  have  been  perfectly  invaluable  ; 
and  though  he  did  growl  at  Mr.  Von  Siebold’s  injunc- 
tions regarding  politeness,  he  has  carried  them  out  to 
my  satisfaction,  and  even  admits  that  the  mountain 
Ainos  are  better  than  he  expected ; “ but,”  he  added, 
“ they  have  learned  their  politeness  from  the  Japanese  ! ” 
They  have  never  seen  a foreign  woman,  and  only  three 
foreign  men,  but  there  is  neither  crowding  nor  staring 
as  among  the  Japanese,  possibly  in  part  from  apathy 
and  want  of  intelligence.  For  three  days  they  have 
kept  up  their  graeeful  and  kindly  hospitality,  going  on 
with  their  ordinary  life  and  occupations,  and  though  I 
have  lived  among  them  in  tliis  room  by  day  and  night, 
there  has  been  nothing  which  in  any  way  could  offend 
the  most  fastidious  sense  of  delicacy. 

They  said  they  would  leave  me  to  eat  and  rest,  and 
all  retired  but  the  chief’s  mother,  a weird,  witch-like 
woman  of  eighty,  with  shocks  of  yellow-white  hair,  and 
a stern  suspiciousness  in  her  wrinkled  face.  I have 
come  to  feel  as  if  she  had  the  e'sdl  eye,  as  she  sits  there 
watching,  watching  always,  and  for  ever  knotting  the 
bark  tliread  like  one  of  the  Fates,  keeping  a jealous 
watch  on  her  son’s  two  wives,  and  on  other  young 
women  who  come  in  to  weave  - -neither  the  dulness  nor 
the  repose  of  old  age  about  her;  and  her  eyes  gleam 
with  a greedy  light  when  she  sees  sahe,  of  which  she 
drains  a bowl  without  taking  breath.  She  alone  is  sus- 
picious of  strangers,  and  she  thinks  that  my  Ausit  bodes 
no  good  to  her  tribe.  I see  her  eyes  fixed  i pon  me 
now,  and  they  make  me  shudder. 


THE  EVENING  MEAL. 


57 


I had  a good  meal  seated  in  my  chair  on  the  top  of 
the  guest-seat  to  avoid  the  fleas,  which  are  truly  legion. 
At  dusk  Shinondi  returned,  and  soon  people  began  to 
drop  in,  till  eighteen  were  assembled,  including  the  sub- 
chief, and  several  very  grand-looking  old  men,  ■with  full- 
grey,  wavy  beards.  Age  is  held  in  much  reverence,  and 
it  is  etiquette  for  these  old  men  to  do  honour  to  a guest 
in  the  chiefs  absence.  As  each  entered  he  saluted  me 
several  times,  and  after  sitting  down  turned  towards  me 
and  saluted  again,  going  through  the  same  ceremonj' 
with  every  other  person.  They  said  they  had  come  “ to 
bid  me  welcome.”  They  took  their  places  in  rigid 
order  at  each  side  of  the  fireplace,  which  is  six  feet 
long,  Benri’s  mother  in  the  place  of  honour  at  the  right, 
then  Shinondi,  then  the  sub-chief,  and  on  the  other  side 
the  old  men.  Besides  these,  seven  women  sat  in  a row 
in  the  background  splitting  bark.  A large  iron  pan 
hung  over  the  fire  from  a blackened  arrangement  above, 
and  Benri’s  principal  wife  cut  ■wild  roots,  green  beans, 
and  seaweed,  and  shred  dried  fish  and  venison  among 
them,  adding  millet,  water,  and  some  strong-smelling 
fish-oil,  and  set  the  whole  on  to  stew  for  three  hours, 
stirring  the  “ mess  ” now  and  then  with  a wooden  spoon. 

Several  of  the  older  people  smoke,  and  I handed 
round  some  mild  tobacco,  which  they  received  with 
waving  hands.  I told  them  that  I came  from  a land  in 
the  sea,  very  far  away,  where  they  saw  the  sun  go 
down,  so  very  far  away  that  a horse  would  have  to 
gallop  day  and  night  for  five  weeks  to  reach  it,  and  that 
I had  come  a long  journey  to  see  them,  and  that  I 
wanted  to  ask  them  many  questions,  so  that  when  I 
went  home  I might  tell  my  own  people  something  about 
them.  Shinondi  and  another  man,  who  understood 
Japanese,  bowed,  and  (as  on  every  occasion)  translated 
what  I said  into  Aino  for  the  venerable  group  opposite. 


58 


UNBEATEN  TRACKS  IN  JAPAN. 


Shinondi  then  said  “ that  he  and  Shinrichi,  the  other 
Japanese  speaker,  would  tell  me  all  they  knew,  but 
they  were  but  young  men,  and  only  knew  what  was 
told  to  them.  They  would  speak  what  they  believed 
to  be  true,  but  the  chief  knew  more  than  they,  and 
when  he  came  back  he  might  tell  me  differently,  and 
then  I should  think  that  they  had  spoken  lies.”  I said 
that  no  one  who  looked  into  their  faces  could  think  that 
they  ever  told  lies.  They  were  very  much  pleased,  and 


SHINONDI  AND  SHINRICHI. 


waved  their  hands  and  stroked  their  beards  repeatedly. 
Before  they  told  me  anything,  they  begged  and  prayed 
that  I would  not  inform  the  Japanese  Government  that 
they  had  told  me  of  their  customs,  or  harm  might  come 
to  them ! 

For  the  next  two  hours,  and  for  two  more  after  sup- 
{)er,  I asked  them  questions  concerning  their  religion 
and  customs,  and  again  yesterday  for  a considerable 
time,  and  this  morning,  after  Benri’s  return,  I went  over 
the  same  subjects  with  him,  and  have  also  employed  a 


LIBATIONS  TO  THE  GODS. 


59 


considerable  time  in  getting  about  300  words  from  them, 
which  I have  spelt  phonetically  of  course,  and  intend  to 
go  over  again  when  I visit  the  coast  Ainosd 

The  process  was  slow,  as  both  question  and  answer 
had  to  pass  through  three  languages.  There  was  a very 
manifest  desire  to  tell  the  truth,  and  I think  that  their 
statements  concerning  their  few  and  simple  customs 
may  be  relied  upon.  I shall  give  what  they  told  me 
separately  when  I have  time  to  write  out  my  notes  in 
an  orderly  manner.  I can  only  say  that  I have  seldom 
spent  a more  interesting  evening. 

About  nine  the  stew  was  ready,  and  the  women 
ladled  it  into  lacquer  bowls  with  wooden  spoons.  The 
men  were  served  first,  but  all  ate  together.  Afterwards 
sake,  their  curse,  was  poured  into  lacquer  bowls,  and 
across  each  bowl  a finely-carved  “ sake-stick  ” was  laid. 
These  sticks  are  very  highly  prized.  The  bowls  were 
waved  several  times  with  an  inward  motion,  then  each 
man  took  his  stick  and,  dipping  it  into  the  sake,  made 
six  libations  to  the  fire,  and  several  to  the  “god,”  a 
wooden  post,  with  a quantity  of  spiral  white  shavings 
falling  from  near  the  top.  The  Ainos  are  not  afi’ected 
by  sake  nearly  so  easily  as  the  Japanese.  They  took  it 
cold,  it  is  true,  but  each  drank  about  three  times  as 
much  as  would  have  made  a Japanese  foolish,  and  it 
had  no  effect  upon  them.  After  two  hours  more  talk 
one  after  another  got  up  and  went  out,  making  profuse 

1 These  words  are  given  in  the  Appendix.  I went  over  them  with 
the  Ainos  of  a remote  village  on  Volcano  Bay,  and  found  the  differ- 
ences in  pronunciation  very  slight,  except  that  the  definiteness  of  the 
Bound  which  I have  represented  by  Tsch  was  more  strongly  marked.  I 
afterwards  went  over  them  with  Mr.  Dening,  and  with  Mr.  Von  Sie- 
bold  at  Tokiyo,  who  have  made  a larger  collection  of  words  than  I have, 
and  it  is  satisfactory  to  find  that  we  have  represented  the  words  in  the 
main  by  the  same  letters,  with  the  single  exception  that  usually  the 
sound  represented  by  them  by  the  letters  c/t,  I have  given  as  Tsch,  and 
I venture  to  think  that  this  is  the  most  correct  rendering 


60 


UNBEATEN  TRACKS  IN  JAPAN. 


salutations  to  me  and  to  the  others.  My  candles  had 
been  forgotten,  and  our  seance  was  held  by  the  fitful 
light  of  the  big  logs  on  the  fire,  aided  by  a succession 
of  chips  of  birch  bark,  with  which  a woman  replenished 
a cleft  stick  that  was  stuck  into  the  fire-hole.  I never 
saw  such  a strangely  picturesque  sight  as  that  group  of 
magnificent  savages  with  the  fitful  firelight  on  theii' 
faces,  and  for  adjuncts  the  flare  of  the  torch,  the  strong 
lights,  the  blackness  of  the  recesses  of  the  room  and  of 
the  roof,  at  one  end  of  which  the  stars  looked  in,  and 
the  row  of  savage  women  in  the  backgrormd  — eastern 
savagery  and  western  civilisation  met  in  this  hut,  sav- 
agery  giving,  and  civilisation  receiving,  the  yellow- 
skinned Ito  the  connecting-link  between  the  two,  and 
the  representative  of  a civilisation  to  which  our  own  is 
but  an  “ infant  of  days.” 

I found  it  very  exciting,  and  when  all  had  left  crept 
out  into  the  starlight.  The  lodges  were  all  dark  and 
silent,  and  the  dogs,  mild  like  their  masters,  took  no 
notice  of  me.  The  only  sound  was  the  rustle  of  a light 
breeze  through  the  surrounding  forest.  The  verse  came 
into  my  mind,  “ It  is  not  the  will  of  your  Father  which 
is  in  Heaven  that  one  of  these  little  ones  should  per- 
ish.” Surely  these  simple  savages  are  children,  as  chil- 
dren to  be  judged ; may  we  not  hope  as  children  to  be 
saved  through  Him  who  came  “ not  to  judge  the  world, 
but  to  save  the  world  ” ? 

I crept  back  again  and  into  my  mosquito  net,  and 
suffered  not  from  fleas  or  mosquitoes,  but  from  severe 
cold.  Shinondi  conversed  with  Ito  for  some  time  in  a 
low  musical  voice,  having  pre\dously  asked  if  it  would 
keep  me  from  sleeping.  No  Japanese  ever  intermitted 
his  ceaseless  chatter  at  any  hour  of  the  night  for  a simi- 
lar reason.  Later,  the  cliiefs  principal  wife,  Noma, 
stuck  a triply-cleft  stick  in  the  fire-hole,  put  a potsherd 


THE  CHIEF'S  WIFE. 


01 


with  a wick  and  some  fish-oil  upon  it,  and  by  the  dim 
light  of  this  rude  lamp  sewed  until  midnight  at  a gar 
ment  of  bark  cloth  which  she  was  ornamenting  for  her 
loid  with  strips  of  blue  cloth,  and  when  I opened  my 
eyes  the  next  morning  she  was  at  the  window  sewing 
by  the  earliest  daylight.  She  is  the  most  intelligent- 
looking  of  all  the  women,  but  looks  sad  and  almost 
stern,  and  speaks  seldom.  Although  she  is  the  princi- 
pal wife  of  the  chief,  she  is  not  happy,  for  she  is  child- 
less, and  I thought  that  her  sad  look  darkened  into 
something  evil  as  the  other  wife  caressed  a fine  baby 
boy.  Benri  seems  to  me  something  of  a brute,  and  the 
mother-in-law  obviously  holds  the  reins  of  government 
pretty  tight.  After  sewing  till  midnight  she  swept  the 
mats  with  a bunch  of  twigs,  and  then  crept  into  her 
bed  behind  a hanging  mat.  For  a moment  in  the  still- 
ness I felt  a feeling  of  panic,  as  if  I Avere  incurring  a 
risk  by  being  alone  among  savages,  but  I conquered  it, 
and  after  watching  the  fire  till  it  went  out,  fell  asleep 
till  I was  awoke  by  the  severe  cold  of  the  next  day’s 
dawn. 


62 


UNBEATEN  TRACKS  IN  JAPAN. 


AINO  HOSPITALITY. 

A Supposed  Act  of  Worship — Pareutal  Tenderness  — Morning 
Visits  — Wretched  Cultivation  — Ilonesty  and  Generosity  — A 
“ Dug-out  ” — Female  Occupations  — The  Ancient  Fate  — A Xew 
Arrival — A Perilous  I’rescription — The  Shrine  of  Yoshitsune  — 
The  Chief’s  lieturn. 

When  I crept  from  under  my  net,  much  benumbed 
witli  cold,  tliere  were  about  eleven  people  In  the  room, 
who  all  made  tlieir  graceful  salutation.  It  did  not  seem 
as  if  they  had  ever  heard  of  wasliing,  for  when  water 
v/as  asked  for,  Shinondi  brought  a little  in  a lacquer 
bowl,  and  held  it  Avhile  I batlied  my  face  and  hands, 
supposing  the  performance  to  be  an  act  of  worsliip ! 
I was  about  to  throw  some  cold  tea  out  of  the  window 
by  my  bed,  Avhen  he  arrested  me  with  an  anxious  face, 
and  I saw  Avhat  I had  not  obserA*ed  before,  that  there 
was  a god  at  that  window,  a stick  with  festoons  of 
shavings  hanging  from  it,  and  beside  it  a dead  bird. 
The  Ainos  have  two  meals  a day,  and  their  breakfast 
was  a repetition  of  the  previous  night’s  supper.  We  all 
ate  together,  and  I gaA^e  the  children  the  remains  of  my 
rice,  and  it  was  most  amusing  to  see  little  creatures  of 
three,  four,  and  five  years  old,  with  no  other  clothing 
than  a piece  of  pewter  hanging  round  their  necks,  first 
formally  asking  leave  of  the  parents  before  taking  the 
rice,  and  then  waving  their  hands.  The  obedience  of 
the  children  is  instantaneous.  Their  parents  are  more 
demonstrative  in  their  affection  than  the  Japanese  are, 


MORNING  VISITS. 


63 


caressing  them  a good  deal,  and  two  of  the  men  are 
devoted  to  children  who  are  not  their  own.  These 
little  ones  are  as  grave  and  dignified  as  Japanese 
children,  and  are  very  gentle. 

I went  out  soon  after  five,  when  the  dew  was  glitter- 
ing in  the  sunshine,  and  the  mountain  hollow  in  which 
Biratori  stands  was  looking  its  very  best,  and  the 
iileuce  of  the  place,  even  though  the  people  were  all 
astir,  was  as  impressive  as  that  of  the  night  before. 
What  a strange  life ! knowing  nothing,  hoping  nothing, 
fearing  a little,  the  need  for  clothes  and  food  the 
one  motive  principle,  sake  in  abundance  the  one  good ! 
How  very  few  points  of  contact  it  is  possible  to  have  ! 
T was  just  thinking  so,  when  Shinondi  met  me,  and 
took  me  to  his  house  to  see  if  I could  do  anything  for 
a child  sorely  afflicted  with  skin  disease,  and  his  ex- 
treme tenderness  for  this  very  loathsome  object  made 
me  feel  that  human  affections  were  the  same  among 
them  as  with  us.  He  had  carried  it  on  his  back  from  a 
village,  five  miles  distant,  that  morning,  in  the  hope 
that  it  might  be  cured.  As  soon  as  I entered,  he  laid 
a fine  mat  on  the  floor,  and  covered  the  guest-seat  with 
a bearskin.  After  breakfast  he  took  me  to  the  lodge 
of  the  sub-chief,  the  largest  in  the  village,  45  feet 
square,  and  into  about  twenty  others  all  constructed 
in  the  same  way,  but  some  of  them  were  not  more  than 
20  feet  square.  In  all,  I was  received  with  the  same 
courtesy,  but  a few  of  the  people  asked  Shinondi  not  to 
take  me  into  their  houses,  as  they  did  not  want  me  to 
see  how  poor  they  are.  In  every  house  there  was  the 
low  shelf  with  more  or  fewer  curios  upon  it,  but  besides 
these,  none  but  the  barest  necessaries  of  life,  though 
the  skins  which  they  sell  or  barter  every  year  would 
enable  them  to  surround  themselves  with  comforts, 
were  it  not  that  their  gains  represent  to  them  sake  and 


64 


UNBEATEN  TRACKS  IN  JAPAN. 


nothing  else.  They  are  not  nomads.  On  the  contrary* 
they  cling  tenaciously  to  the  sites  on  which  theii 
fathers  have  lived  and  died.  But  any  tiring  more  de- 
plorable than  the  attempts  at  cultivation  which  sur- 
round their  lodges  could  not  be  seen.  The  soil  is  little 
better  than  white  sand,  on  which  without  manure  they 
attempt  to  grow  millet,  which  is  to  them  in  the  place 
of  rice,  pumpkins,  onions,  and  tobacco,  but  the  look  of 
their  plots  is  as  if  they  had  been  cultivated  ten  years 
ago,  and  some  chance-sown  grain  and  vegetables  had 
come  up  among  the  weeds.  When  nothing  more  will 
grow,  they  partially  clear  another  bit  of  forest,  and  ex- 
haust that  in  its  turn. 

In  every  house  the  same  honour  was  paid  to  a guest. 
This  seems  a savage  virtue  which  is  not  strong  enough 
to  survive  much  contact  with  civilisation.  Before  I 
entered  one  lodge,  the  woman  brought  several  of  the 
finer  mats,  and  arranged  them  as  a pathway  for  me  to 
walk  to  the  fire  upon.  They  will  not  accept  anything 
for  lodging,  or  for  anything  that  they  give,  so  I was 
anxious  to  help  them  by  buying  some  of  their  handi- 
work, but  found  even  tliis  a difficult  matter.  They 
were  very  anxious  to  give,  but  when  I desired  to  buy 
they  said  they  did  not  wish  to  part  with  their  things. 
I wanted  what  they  had  in  actual  use,  such  as  a tobacco- 
box  and  pipe-sheath,  and  knives  with  carved  handles 
and  scabbards,  and  for  three  of  these  I offered  2i  dol- 
lars. They  said  they  did  not  care  to  sell  them,  but  in 
the  evening  they  came  saying  they  were  not  worth  more 
than  1 dollar  10  cents,  and  they  would  sell  them  for 
that ; and  I could  not  get  them  to  take  more.  They 
said  it  was  “not  their  custom.”  I bought  a bow  and 
three  poisoned  arrows,  two  reed-mats,  "with  a diamond 
pattern  on  them  in  reeds  stained  red,  some  knives  with 
sheaths,  and  a bark  cloth  dress.  I tried  to  buy  the 


A '' bug-out:' 


65 


e-a/c^-sticks  with  which  they  make  libations  to  their  gods, 
but  they  said  it  was  “ not  their  custom  ” to  part  with 
the  sa/;^-stick  of  any  living  man  — however,  this  morn- 
ing Shinondi  has  brought  me,  as  a very  valuable  present, 
the  stick  of  a dead  man ! This  morning  the  man  who 
sold  the  arrows  brought  two  new  ones,  to  replace  two 
which  were  imperfect.  I found  them,  as  Mr.  Von  Sie- 
bold  had  done,  punctiliously  honest  in  all  their  transac- 
tions. They  wear  very  large  earrings  with  hoops  an 
inch  and  a half  in  diameter,  a pair  eonstituting  the 
dowry  of  an  Aino  bride,  but  they  would  not  part  with 
these. 

A house  was  burned  down  two  nights  ago,  and 
“custom”  in  such  a case  requires  that  all  the  men 
should  work  at  rebuilding  it,  so  in  their  absence  I got 
two  boys  to  take  me  in  a “ dug-out  ” as  far  as  we  could 
go  up  the  Sarufutogawa,  a lovely  river,  wliich  winds 
tortuously  through  the  forests  and  mountains  in  un- 
speakable loveliness.  I had  much  of  the  feeling  of  the 
ancient  mariner  — 

“We  were  the  first 
Who  ever  burst 

Into  that  silent  sea.” 

For  certainly  no  European  had  ever  previously  floated 
on  the  dark  and  forest-shrouded  waters.  I enjoyed 
those  hours  thoroughly,  for  the  silence  was  profound, 
and  the  faint  blue  of  the  autumn  sky,  and  the  soft  blue 
veil  which  “ spiritualised  ” the  distances,  were  so  exquis- 
itely like  the  Indian  summer. 

The  evening  was  spent  like  the  previous  one,  but  the 
hearts  of  the  savages  were  sad,  for  there  was  no  more 
sake  in  Biratori,  so  they  could  not  “ drink  to  the  god,” 
and  the  fire  and  the  post  with  the  shavings  had  to  go 
without  libations.  There  was  no  more  oil,  so  after  the 
strangers  retired  the  hut  was  in  complete  darkjiess. 


66 


UNBEATEN  TBACKS  IN  JAPAN. 


Yesterday  morning  we  all  breakfasted  soon  after  day- 
light, and  the  able-bodied  men  went  away  to  hunt, 
Hunting  and  fishing  are  their  occupations,  and  foi 
“ indoor  recreation  ” they  carve  tobacco-boxes,  knife- 
sheaths,  sa^e-sticks,  and  shuttles.  It  is  quite  unneces- 


AINO  STORE-HOUSE. 


sary  for  them  to  do  anything  ; they^  are  quite  contented 
to  sit  by  the  fii’e,  and  smoke  occasionally,  and  eat  and 
sleep,  this  apathy  being  varied  by*  spasms  of  activity 
when  there  is  no  more  dried  flesh  in  the  kuras,  and 
when  skins  must  be  taken  to  Sarufuto  to  pay  for  sake. 
The  women  seem  never  to  have  an  idle  moment.  They 


THE  ANCIENT  FATE. 


67 


rise  early  to  sew,  weave,  and  split  bark,  for  they  not 
only  clothe  themselves  and  their  husbands  in  this 
nearly  indestructible  cloth,  but  weave  it  for  barter, 
and  the  lower  class  of  Japanese  are  constantly  to  be 
seen  wearing  the  product  of  Airio  industry.  They  do 
all  the  hard  work,  such  as  drawing  water,  chopping 
wood,  grinding  millet,  and  cultivating  the  soil,  after 
their  fashion ; but  to  do  the  men  justice,  I often  see 
them  trudging  along,  carrying  one  and  even  two  chil- 
dren. The  women  take  the  exclusive  charge  of  the 
kuras,  which  are  never  entered  by  men. 

I was  left  for  some  hours  alone  with  the  women,  of 
whom  there  were  seven  in  the  hut,  with  a few  children. 
On  the  one  side  of  the  fire  the  chiefs  mother  sat  like  a 
Fate,  for  ever  splitting  and  knotting  bark,  and  petrify- 
ing me  by  her  cold,  fateful  eyes.  Her  thick,  grey  hair 
hangs  in  shocks,  the  tattooing  round  her  mouth  has 
nearly  faded,  and  no  longer  disguises  her  really  hand- 
some features.  She  is  dressed  in  a much  ornamented 
bark-cloth  dress,  and  wears  two  silver  beads  tied  round 
her  neck  by  a piece  of  blue  cotton,  in  addition  to  very 
large  earrings.  She  has  much  sway  in  the  house,  sit- 
ting on  the  men’s  side  of  the  fire,  drinking  plenty  of 
sake,  and  occasionally  chiding  her  grandson  Shinondi  for 
tellmg  me  too  much,  saying  that  it  will  bring  harm  to 
her  people.  Though  her  expression  is  so  severe  and 
forbidding,  she  is  certainly  very  handsome,  and  it  is  a 
European,  not  an  Asiatic,  beauty. 

The  younger  women  were  all  at  work ; two  were 
seated  on  the  floor  weaving  without  a loom,  and  the 
others  were  making  and  mending  the  bark  coats  which 
are  worn  by  both  sexes.  Noma,  the  chief’s  principal 
wife,  sat  apart,  seldom  speaking.  Two  of  the  youngest 
women  are  very  pretty  — as  fair  as  ourselves,  and  their 
comeliness  is  of  the  rosy,  peasant  kind.  It  turns  oif 


G8 


UNBEATEN  TRACKS  IN  JAPAN. 


that  two  of  them,  though  they  would  not  divulge  it 
before  men,  speak  Japanese,  and  they  prattled  to  Ito 
with  great  vivacity  and  merriment;  the  ancient  Fate 
scowling  at  them  the  while  from  under  her  shaggy  eye- 
brows. I got  a number  of  words  from  them,  and  they 
laughed  heartily  at  my  erroneous  pronunciation.  They 
even  asked  me  a number  of  questions  regarding  then 
0 svn  sex  among  ourselves,  but  few  of  these  would  bear 
re])etition,  and  they  answered  a number  of  mine.  As 
the  merriment  increased  the  old  woman  looked  increas- 
ingly angry  and  restless,  and  at  last  rated  them  sharply, 
as  I have  heard  since,  tellmg  them  that,  if  they  spoke 
another  word,  she  should  tell  their  husbands  tliat  they 
had  been  talking  to  strangers.  After  this  not  another 
word  was  spoken,  and  Noma,  who  is  an  industrious 
housewife,  boiled  some  millet  into  a mash  for  a mid-day 
lunch.  During  the  afternoon  a very  handsome  young 
Aino,  with  a washed,  richly-coloured  skin  and  fine  clear 
eyes,  came  up  from  the  coast,  where  he  had  been  work- 
ing at  the  fishing.  He  saluted  the  old  woman  and 
Benri’s  wife  on  entering,  and  presented  the  former  with 
a gourd  of  sake.,  bringing  a greedy  light  into  her  eyes 
as  she  took  a long  draught,  after  which,  saluting  me,  he 
threw  himself  down  in  the  place  of  honour  by  the  fire, 
with  the  easy  grace  of  a staghound,  a savage  all  over. 
His  name  is  Pipichari,  and  he  is  the  chiefs  adopted  son. 
He  had  cut  his  foot  badly  with  a root,  and  asked  me  to 
cure  it,  and  I stipulated  that  it  should  be  bathed  for  some 
time  in  warm  water  before  an3dhing  more  was  done, 
after  which  I bandaged  it  with  lint.  He  said  “ he  did 
not  like  me  to  touch  his  foot,  it  was  not  clean  enough, 
my  hands  were  too  white,”  etc. ; but  when  I had  dressed 
it,  and  the  pain  was  much  relieved,  he  bowed  very  low 
and  then  kissed  my  hand  ! He  was  the  only  one  among 
them  all  who  showed  the  slightest  curiosity  regarding 


A NEW  ARRIVAL. 


69 


my  things.  He  looked  at  my  scissors,  touched  my  boots, 
and  watched  me,  as  I wrote,  with  the  simple  curiosity 
of  a child.  He  could  speak  a little  Japanese,  but  he 
said  he  was  “ too  young  to  tell  me  anything,  the  older 
men  would  know.”  He  is  a “ total  abstainer  ” from 
Bake,  and  he  says  that  there  are  four  such  besides  liim- 
self  among  the  large  number  of  Ainos  who  are  just  now 
at  the  fishing  at  Mombets,  and  that  the  others  keep 
separate  from  them,  because  they  think  that  the  gods 
will  be  angry  with  them  for  not  drinking. 

Several  “patients,”  mostly  children,  were  brought  in 
during  the  afternoon.  Ito  was  much  disgusted  by  my 
interest  in  these  people,  who,  he  repeated,  “are  just 
dogs ; ” referring  to  their  legendary  origin,  of  which 
they  are  not  ashamed.  His  assertion  that  they  have 
learned  politeness  from  the  Japanese,  is  simply  base- 
less. Their  politeness,  though  of  quite  another  and 
more  manly  stamp,  is  savage,  not  civilised.  The  men 
came  back  at  dark,  the  meal  was  prepared,  and  we  sat 
round  the  fire  as  before ; but  there  was  no  sake,  except 
in  the  possession  of  the  old  woman ; and  again  the 
hearts  of  the  savages  were  sad.  I could  multiply 
instances  of  their  politeness.  As  we  were  talking, 
Pipichari,  who  is  a very  “ untutored  ” savage,  dropped 
his  coat  from  one  shoulder,  and  at  once  Shinondi  signed 
to  him  to  put  it  on  again.  Again,  a woman  was  sent 
to  a distant  village  for  some  oil,  as  soon  as  they  heard 
that  I usually  burned  a light  all  night.  Little  acts  of 
courtesy  were  constantly  being  performed  ; but  I really 
appreciated  nothing  more  than  the  quiet  way  in  which 
they  went  on  with  the  routine  of  their  ordinary  lives. 

During  the  evening  a man  came  to  ask  if  I would  go 
and  see  a woman  who  could  hardly  breathe ; and  I 
found  her  v ery  ill  of  bronchitis,  accompanied  with  much 
fever.  She  was  lying  in  a coat  of  skins,  tossing  on 


70 


UNBEATEN  TRACKS  IN  JAPAN. 


the  hard  boards  of  her  bed,  with  a matting-co'S’ered  roll 
under  lier  head,  and  her  husband  was  trying  to  make 
her  swallow  some  salt  fish.  I took  her  dry,  hot  hand, 
such  a small  hand,  tattooed  all  over  the  back ; and  it 
gave  me  a strange  thrill.  The  room  was  full  of  people, 
and  they  all  seemed  very  sorry.  A medical  missionary 
would  be  of  little  use  here ; but  a medically-trained 
nurse,  who  would  give  medicines  and  proper  food, 
with  proper  nursing,  would  save  many  lives  and  much 
suffering.  It  is  of  no  use  to  tell  these  people  to  do 
anything  which  requires  to  be  done  more  than  once : 
they  are  just  like  children.  I gave  her  some  chloro- 
dyne,  which  she  swallowed  with  difirculty,  and  left 
another  dose  ready  mixed,  to  give  her  in  a few  hours  ; 
but  about  midnight  they  came  to  tell  me  that  she 
was  worse ; and  on  going  I found  her  very  cold  and 
weak,  and  breathing  very  hard,  moving  her  head 
wearily  from  side  to  side.  I thought  she  could  not 
live  for  many  hours,  and  was  much  afraid  that  they 
would  think  that  1 had  killed  her.  I told  them  that 
I thought  she  would  die ; but  they  lu-ged  me  to  do 
something  more  for  her  ; and  as  a last  hope  I gave  her 
some  brandy,  with  twenty-five  drops  of  chlorod5’ne, 
and  a few  spoonfuls  of  very  strong  beef-tea.  She  was 
unable,  or  more  probably  unwilling,  to  make  the  effort 
to  swallow  it,  and  I ponred  it  down  her  throat  by  the 
wild  glare  of  strips  of  birch  bark.  An  hour  later  they 
came  back  to  tell  me  that  she  felt  as  if  she  was  very 
drunk;  but  going  back  to  her  house,  I found  that  ste 
was  sleeping  quietly,  and  breathing  more  easily  ; and 
creeping  back  just  at  dawn,  I found  her  still  sleeping, 
and  with  her  pulse  stronger  and  calmer.  She  is  now 
decidedl}^  better,  and  quite  sensible,  and  her  husband, 
the  sub-chief,  is  much  delighted.  It  seems  so  sad  that 
they  have  nothing  fit  for  a sick  person's  food  ; and 


FEAR  OF  THE  JAPANESE  GOVERNMENT.  71 

though  I have  made  a bowl  of  beef-tea  with  tha 
remains  of  my  stock,  it  can  only  last  one  day. 

I was  so  tired  with  these  nocturnal  expeditions  and 
anxieties,  that  on  lying  down  I fell  asleep,  and  on  wak- 
ing found  more  than  the  usual  assemblage  in  the  room, 
and  the  men  were  obviously  agog  about  sometlring. 
They  have  a singular,  and  I hope  an  unreasonable, 
fear  of  the  Japanese  Government.  Mr.  Von  Siebold 
thinks  that  the  officials  threaten  and  knock  them 
about ; and  this  is  possible ; but  I really  think  that 
the  Kaitailcuslii  Department  means  well  by  them,  and, 
besides  removing  the  oppressive  restrictions  by  which, 
as  a conquered  race,  they  were  fettered,  treats  them 
far  more  humanely  and  equitably  than  the  U.  S.  Gov- 
ernment, for  instance,  treats  the  North  American 
Indians.  However,  they  are  ignorant ; and  one  of 
the  men  who  had  been  most  grateful  because  I said 
I would  get  Dr.  Hepburn  to  send  some  medicine  for 
his  child,  came  this  morning  and  begged  me  not  to  do 
so,  as,  he  said,  “the  Japanese  Government  would  be 
angry.”  After  this  they  again  prayed  me  not  to  tell 
the  Japanese  Government  that  they  had  told  me  their 
customs ; and  then  they  began  to  talk  earnestly  to- 
gether. 

The  sub-chief  then  spoke,  and  said  that  I had  been 
kind  to  their  sick  people,  and  they  would  like  to  show 
me  their  temple,  which  had  never  been  seen  by  any 
foreigner  ; but  they  were  very  much  afraid  of  doing  so, 
and  they  asked  me  many  times  “not  to  tell  tlie  Japan- 
ese Government  that  they  showed  it  to  me,  lest  some 
great  liarm  should  happen  to  them.”  The  sub-chief 
put  on  a sleeveless  Japanese  war-cloak  to  go  up,  and 
he,  Shinondi,  Pipichari,  and  two  others  accompanied 
me.  It  was  a beautiful  but  very  steep  walk,  oi'  rather 
climb,  to  the  top  of  an  abrupt  acclivity  beyond  ihe 


72 


UNBEATEN  TBACKS  IN  JAFAN. 


village,  on  which  the  temple  or  shrine  stands.  It 
would  be  impossible  to  get  up,  were  it  not  for  the 
remains  of  a wooden  staircase,  not  of  Aino  construc- 
tion. Forest  and  mountain  surround  Biratori,  and  the 
only  breaks  in  the  dense  greenery  are  glints  of  the 
shining  waters  of  the  Sarufutogawa,  and  the  tawny  ro<.'fs 
of  the  Aino  lodges.  It  is  a lonely  and  a silent  land,  fitter 
for  the  hiding  place  than  the  dwelling  place  of  men. 

When  the  splendid  young  savage,  Pipichari,  saw 
that  I found  it  difficult  to  get  up,  he  took  my  hand 
and  helped  me  up,  as  gently  as  an  English  gentleman 
would  have  done  ; and  when  he  saw  that  I had  greater 
difficulty  in  getting  doAvn,  he  all  but  insisted  on  my 
riding  down  on  his  back,  and  certainly  would  have 
carried  me,  had  not  Benri,  the  chief,  who  arrived  while 
we  were  at  the  slirine,  made  an  end  of  it  by  taking  my 
hand  and  helping  me  down  himself.  Their  instinct  of 
helpfulness  to  a foreign  woman  strikes  me  as  so  odd, 
because  they  never  show  any  courtesy  to  their  owm 
women,  whom  they  treat  (though  to  a less  extent  than 
is  usual  among  savages)  as  inferior  beings. 

On  the  very  edge  of  the  cliff,  at  the  top  of  the  zigzag, 
stands  a wooden  temple  or  shrine,  such  as  one  sees  in 
any  grove,  or  on  any  high  place  on  the  main  island, 
obviously  of  Japanese  construction,  but  concerning 
which  Aino  tradition  is  silent.  No  European  had  ever 
stood  where  I stood,  and  there  was  a solemnity  in  the 
knowledge.  The  sub-chief  drew  back  the  sliding  doors, 
and  all  bowed  with  much  reverence.  It  was  a simple 
shrine  of  unlacquered  wood,  'with  a broad  shelf  at  the 
back,  on  -ndiich  there  w^as  a small  slmine  containing  a 
figure  of  the  historical  hero  Yoshitsuiffi,  in  a suit  of  in- 
laid bi’ass  armour,  some  metal  gohei,  a pair  of  tarnished 
brass  candlesticks,  and  a coloured  Chinese  picture  repre- 
senting a junk.  Here,  then,  I was  introduced  to  Ihe 


THE  CHIEF’S  BETURN. 


73 


gieat  god  of  the  mountain  Ainos.  There  is  something 
very  pathetic  in  these  people  keeping  alive  the  memory 
of  Yoshitsund,  not  on  account  of  liis  martial  exploits, 
but  simply  because  their  tradition  tells  them  that  he 
was  kind  to  them.  They  pulled  the  bell  three  times 
to  attract  his  attention,  bowed  three  times,  and  made 
six  libations  of  sa/ce,  without  which  ceremon}^  he  can- 
not be  approached.  They  asked  me  to  worship  their 
god,  but  when  T declined  on  the  ground  that  I could 
only  worship  my  omi  God,  the  Lord  of  Earth  and 
Heaven,  of  the  dead  and  of  the  living,  they  were  too 
courteous  to  press  their  request.  As  to  Ito,  it  did  not 
signify  to  him  whether  or  not  he  added  another  god  to 
his  already  crowded  Pantheon,  and  he  “ worshipped,” 
t.e.  bowed  down,  most  willingly  before  the  great  hero 
of  his  own,  the  conquering  race. 

While  we  were  crowded  there  on  the  narrow  ledge  of 
the  cliff,  Benri,  the  chief,  arrived,  a square-built,  broad- 
shouldered,  elderly  man,  strong  as  an  ox,  and  very 
handsome,  but  his  expression  is  not  pleasing,  and  his 
eyes  are  bloodshot  with  drinking.  The  others  saluted 
him  very  respectfully,  but  I noticed  then  and  since 
that  his  manner  is  very  arbitrary,  and  that  a blow  not 
infrequently  follows  a word.  He  had  sent  a message 
to  his  people  by  Ito  that  they  were  not  to  answer  any 
questions  till  he  returned,  but  Ito  very  tactfully  neither 
gave  it  nor  told  me  of  it,  and  he  was  displeased  with 
the  young  men  for  having  talked  to  me  so  much.  His 
mother  had  evidently  “ peached.”  I like  him  less  than 
any  of  his  tribe.  He  has  some  fine  qualities,  truthful- 
ness among  others,  but  he  has  been  contaminated  by 
the  four  or  five  foreigners  that  he  has  seen,  and  is  a 
brute  and  a sot.  The  hearts  of  his  people  are  no  longei 
sad,  for  there  is  sake  in  every  house  to-night. 

I.  L.  B. 


UNBEATEN  TRACKS  IN  JAPAN 


r4 


SAVAGE  LIFE. 

Barrenness  of  Savage  Life  — Irreclaimable  Savages  — The  Aino  Phy- 
sique— Female  Comeliness  — Torture  and  Ornament  — Child  Life 
— Docility  and  Obedience. 

Blratoei,  Yezo,  August  24. 

I EXPECTED  to  have  written  out  my  notes  on  the 
Ainos  in  the  comparative  quiet  and  comfort  of  Sarufuto, 
but  the  delay  in  Benri’s  return,  and  the  non-arrival  of 
the  horses,  have  compelled  me  to  accept  Aino  hospital- 
ity for  another  night,  which  involves  living  on  tea  and 
potatoes,  for  my  stock  of  food  is  exhausted.  In  some 
respects  1 am  glad  to  remain  longer,  as  it  enables  me  to 
go  over  my  stock  of  words,  as  well  as  my  notes,  with 
the  chief,  who  is  intelligent,  and  it  is  a pleasure  to  find 
that  his  statements  confirm  those  wliich  have  been  made 
by  the  young  men.  The  glamour  which  at  first  dis- 
guises the  inherent  barrenness  of  savage  life  has  had 
time  to  pass  away,  and  I see  it  in  all  its  nakedness  as 
a life  not  much  raised  above  the  necessities  of  animal 
existence,  timid,  monotonous,  barren  of  good,  dark, 
dull,  “ without  hope,  and  without  God  m the  world ; 
though  at  its  lowest  and  worst  considerably  higher  and 
better  than  that  of  many  other  aboriginal  races,  and, 
must  I say  it?  considerably  higher  and  better  than  that 
of  thousands  of  the  lapsed  masses  of  our  own  great 
cities,  who  are  baptized  into  Clu’ist's  name,  and  aie  laid 
at  last  in  holy  ground,  inasmuch  as  the  Ainos  are  truth- 
ful, and,  on  the  whole,  chaste,  hospitable,  honest,  rever- 


IRRECLAIMABLE  SAVAGES. 


75 


ent,  and  kind  to  the  aged.  Drinking,  their  great  vice, 
is  not,  as  among  us,  in  antagonism  to  their  religion,  but 
is  actually  a part  of  it,  and  as  such  would  be  exception- 
ally difficult  to  eradicate. 

The  early  darkness  has  once  again  come  on,  and  once 
again  the  elders  have  assembled  round  the  fire  in  two 
long  lines,  with  the  younger  men  at  the  ends,  Pipichari, 
who  yesterday  sat  in  the  place  of  honour,  and  was  helped 
to  food  first  as  the  newest  arrival,  taking  his  place  as  the 
youngest  at  the  end  of  the  right-hand  row.  The  birch- 
bark  chips  beam  with  fitful  glare,  the  evening  sake  bowls 
are  filled,  the  fire-god  and  the  garlanded  god  receive 
then-  libations,  the  ancient  woman,  still  sitting  like  a 
Fate,  splits  bark,  and  the  younger  women  knot  it,  and 
the  log-fire  lights  up  as  magnificent  a set  of  venerable 
heads  as  painter  or  sculptor  would  desire  to  see,  — 
heads,  full  of,  — what?  They  have  no  history,  their 
traditions  are  scarcely  worthy  the  name,  they  claim 
descent  from  a dog,  their  houses  and  persons  swarm 
with  vermin,  they  are  sunk  in  the  grossest  ignorance, 
they  have  no  letters,  or  any  niimbers  above  a thousand, 
they  are  clothed  in  the  bark  of  trees  and  the  untanned 
skins  of  beasts,  they  worship  the  bear,  the  sun,  moon, 
fire,  water,  and  I know  not  what,  they  are  uncivilisable 
and  altogether  irreclaimable  savages,  yet  they  are  at- 
tractive, and  in  some  ways  fascinating,  and  I hope  I 
shall  never  forget  the  music  of  their  low,  sweet  voices, 
the  soft  light  of  their  mild,  brown  eyes,  and  the  won- 
derful sweetness  of  their  smile. 

After  the  yellow  skins,  the  stiff  horse  hair,  the  feeble 
eyelids,  the  elongated  eyes,  the  sloping  eyebrows,  the 
fiat  noses,  the  sunken  chests,  the  Mongolian  features, 
the  puny  physique,  the  shaky  walk  of  the  men,  the  re- 
si  ricted  totter  of  the  women,  and  the  general  impres- 
sion of  degeneracy  conveyed  by  the  appearance  of  the 


76 


UNBEATEN  TRACKS  IN  JAPAN. 


Japanese,  the  Ainos  make  a very  singular  impression 
All  but  two  or  three  that  I have  seen  are  the  most 
ferocions-looldng  of  savages,  with  a vigorous 

enough  for  carrying  out  the  most  ferocious  intentions, 
but  as  soon  as  they  speak  the  countenance  brightens 
into  a smile  as  gentle  as  that  of  a woman,  something 
which  can  never  be  forgotten. 

The  men  are  about  the  middle  height,  broad-che.stcd, 
broad-shouldered,  “ thick  set,”  very  strongly  built,  tlie 
arms  and  legs  sliort,  thick,  and  muscular,  the  hands  and 
feet  large.  The  bodies,  and  speciall}^  the  limbs,  of  many 
are  covered  with  short  bristly  hair.  I have  seen  two 
boys  whose  backs  are  covered  with  fur  as  fine  and  soft 
as  that  of  a cat.  The  heads  and  faces  are  very  strik- 
ing. The  foreheads  are  very  high,  broad,  and  prominent, 
and  at  first  sight  give  one  the  impression  of  an  unusual 
capacity  for  intellectual  development ; the  ears  are 
small  and  set  low ; the  noses  are  straight  but  short,  and 
broad  at  the  nostrils ; the  mouths  are  wide  but  well 
formed;  and  the  lips  rarely  show  a tendency  to  fulness. 
The  neck  is  short,  the  cranium  roimded,  the  cheek-bones 
low,  and  the  lower  part  of  the  face  is  small  as  compared 
with  the  upper,  the  peculiarity  called  a “jowl”  being 
unknown.  The  eyebrows  are  full,  and  form  a straight 
line  nearly  across  the  face.  The  eyes  are  large,  tolera- 
bly deeply  set,  and  very  beautiful,  the  colour  a rich 
liquid  brown,  the  expression  singularl}'  soft,  and  the 
eyelashes  long,  silky,  and  abundant.  The  skin  has  the 
Italian  olive  tint,  but  in  most  cases  is  thin,  and  light 
enough  to  show  the  changes  of  colour  in  the  cheek. 
The  teeth  are  small,  regular,  and  ver}'  white ; the  inci- 
sors and  “ eye  teeth  ” are  not  disproportionately  large, 
as  is  usually  the  case  among  the  Japanese ; there  is  no 
tendency  towards  prognathism  ; and  the  fold  of  integn- 
raent  which  conceals  the  upper  eyelids  of  the  Japanese 


THE  AINO  PHYSIQUE. 


77 


is  never  to  be  met  with.  The  features,  expression,  and 
aspect,  are  European  rather  than  Asiatic. 

The  “ ferocious  savagery  ” of  the  appearance  of  the 
men  is  produced  by  a profusion  of  thick,  soft,  black 


AN  AINO  PATRIARCH. 


hair,  divided  in  the  middle,  and  falling  in  heavy  masses 
nearly  to  the  shoulders.  Out  of  doors  it  is  kept  from 
falling  over  the  face  by  a fillet  round  the  brow.  The 
beards  are  equally  profuse,  quite  magnificent,  and  gen- 
erally wavy,  and  in  the  case  of  the  old  men  they  give  a 
truly  patiiarchal  and  venerable  aspect,  in  spite  of  the 


78 


UNBEATEN  TRACKS  IN  JAPAN. 


yellow  tinge  produced  by  smoke  and  want  of  cleaiiii- 
neiis.  The  savage  look  produced  by  the  masses  of  hair 
and  beard,  and  the  thick  eyebrows,  is  mitigated  by  the 
softness  in  the  dreamy  brown  eyes,  and  is  altogether 
obliterated  by  the  exceeding  sweetness  of  the  smile 
which  belongs  in  greater  or  less  degree  to  all  the 
rougher  sex. 

I have  measured  the  height  of  thirty  of  the  adult 
men  of  this  village,  and  it  ranges  from  5 feet  4 inches 
to  five  feet  inches.  The  circumference  of  the  heads 
averages  22.1  inches,  and  the  arc,  from  ear  to  ear,  13 
inches.  According  to  Mr.  Davies,  the  average  weight 
of  the  Aino  adult  masculine  brain,  ascertained  by  meas- 
urement of  Aino  skulls,  is  45.90  ounces  avoirdupois,  a 
brain  weight  said  to  exceed  that  of  all  the  races,  Hin- 
doo and  Mussulman,  on  the  Indian  plains,  and  that  of 
the  aboriginal  races  of  India  and  Ceylon,  and  is  only 
paralleled  by  that  of  the  races  of  the  Himalayas,  the 
Siamese,  and  the  Chinese  Burmese.  Mr.  Da^des  says, 
further,  that  it  exceeds  the  mean  brain  weight  of  Asi- 
atic races  in  general.  Yet  with  all  this  the  Ainos  are  a 
stupid  people. 

Passing  travellers  who  have  seen  a few  of  the  Aino 
women  on  the  road  to  Satsuporo  speak  of  them  as  very 
ugly,  but  as  making  amends  for  their  ugliness  by  their 
industry  and  conjugal  fidelity.  Of  the  latter  there  is 
no  doubt,  but  I am  not  disposed  to  admit  the  former. 
The  ugliness  is  certainly  due  to  art  and  dirt.  The  Aino 
women  seldom  exceed  five  feet  and  half  an  inch  in 
height,  but  they  are  beautifully  formed,  straight,  lithe, 
and  well-developed,  with  small  feet  and  hands,  well- 
arched  insteps,  rounded  limbs,  well-developed  busts, 
and  a firm,  elastic  gait.  Their  heads  and  faces  are 
small ; but  the  hau-,  which  falls  in  masses  on  each  side 
of  the  face  like  that  of  the  men,  is  equally  redurdant 


TORTURE  ANB  ORNAMENT. 


79 


They  have  superb  teeth,  and  display  them  liberally  in 
smiling.  Their  mouths  are  somewhat  wide,  but  well 
formed,  and  they  have  a ruddy  comeliness  about  them 
which  is  pleasing,  in  spite  of  the  disfigurement  of  the 
band  which  is  tattooed  both  above  and  below  the 
mouth,  and  which,  by  being  united 
larges  its  apparent  size  and  width. 

A girl  at  Shiroai,  who,  for  some 
reason,  has  not  been  subjected  to 
this  process,  is  the  most  beautiful 
creature  in  features,  colouring,  and 
natural  grace  of  form,  that  I have 
seen  for  a long  time.  Their  com- 
plexions are  lighter  than  those  of 
the  men.  There  are  not  many  here 
even  as  dark  as  our  European  bru- 
nettes. A few  unite  the  eyebrows 
by  a streak  of  tattooing,  so  as  to 
produce  a straight  line.  Like  the 
men,  they  cut  their  hair  short  for 
two  or  three  inches  above  the  nape 
of  the  neck,  but  instead  of  using  a 
fillet  they  take  two  locks  from  the 
front  and  tie  them  at  the  back. 

They  are  universally  tattooed,  not 
only  with  the  broad  band  above  and 
below  the  mouth,  but  with  a band 
across  the  knuckles,  succeeded  by  tattooed  pemal*  hato. 
an  elaborate  pattern  on  the  back  of 
the  hand,  and  a series  of  bracelets  extending  to  the 
elbow.  The  process  of  disfigurement  begins  at  the  age 
of  five,  when  some  of  the  sufferers  are  yet  unweaned. 
I saw  the  operation  performed  on  a ,lear  little  bright  girl 
this  morning.  A woman  took  a large  knife  with  a sharp 
edge,  and  rapidly  cut  several  horizontal  lines  on  the  up- 


at  the  corners,  en- 


80 


UNBEATEN  TRACKS  IN  JAPAN. 


f er  lip,  following  closely  the  curve  of  the  very  pretty 
mouth,  and  before  the  slight  bleeding  had  ceased  care- 
fully rubbed  in  some  of  the  shiny  soot  Avhich  collects  on 
the  mat  above  the  fire.  In  two  or  three  days  the  scarred 
lip  will  be  washed  with  the  decoction  of  the  bark  of  a 
tree  to  fix  the  pattern,  and  give  it  that  blue  look  which 
makes  man}"  people  mistake  it  for  a daub  of  paint.  A 
child  who  had  this  second  process  performed  yesterday 
has  her  lip  fearfully  swollen  and  inflamed.  The  latest 
victim  held  her  hands  clasped  tightly  together  wTile 
the  cuts  were  inflicted,  but  never  cried.  The  pattern 
on  the  lips  is  deepened  and  widened  every  year  up  to 
the  time  of  marriage,  and  the  circles  on  the  arm  are  ex- 
tended in  a similar  way.  The  men  cannot  give  any 
reason  for  the  universality  of  this  custom.  It  is  an  old 
custom,  they  say,  and  part  of  their  religion,  and  no 
woman  could  marry  without  it.  Benri  fancies  that  the 
Japanese  custom  of  blackening  the  teeth  is  equivalent 
to  it ; but  he  is  mistaken,  as  that  ceremony  usually  suc- 
ceeds marriage.  They  begin  to  tattoo  the  arms  when  a 
girl  is  five  or  six,  and  w’ork  from  the  elbow"  downwards. 
They  expressed  themselves  as  very  much  grieved  and 
tormented  by  the  recent  prohibition  of  tattooing.  They 
say  the  gods  will  be  angry,  and  that  the  women  can't 
marry  unless  they  are  tattooed  ; and  they  implored  both 
Mr.  Von  Siebold  and  me  to  intercede  with  the  Japanese 
Government  on  their  behalf  in  this  respect.  They  are 
less  apathetic  on  this  than  on  any  subject,  and  repeal 
fi'equently,  “ It’s  a part  of  our  religion.’’ 

The  children  are  very  pretty  and  attractive,  and  theii 
faces  give  promise  of  an  intelligence  which  is  lacking 
in  those  of  the  adults.  They  are  much  loved,  and  are 
caressing  as  well  as  caressed.  The  infants  of  the 
mountain  Ainos  have  seeds  of  millet  put  into  their 
mouths  as  soon  as  they  are  born,  and  those  of  the  coast 


DOCILITY  AND  OBEDIENCE. 


81 


Ainos  a morsel  of  salt  fish ; and  whatever  be  the  houi 
of  birth,  “ custom  ” requires  that  they  shall  not  be  fed 
until  a night  has  passed.  They  are  not  weaned  until 
they  are  at  least  three  years  old.  Boys  are  preferred  to 
girls,  but  both  are  highly  valued,  and  a childless  wife 
may  be  divorced.  Children  do  not  receive  names  till 
they  are  four  or  five  years  old,  and  then  the  father 
chooses  a name  by  which  his  child  is  afterwards  known. 
Touug  children  when  they  travel  are  either  carried  on 
their  mothers’  backs  in  a net,  or  in  the  back  of  the 
loose  garment ; but  in  both  cases  the  weight  is  mainly 
supported  by  a broad  band  which  passes  round  the 
woman’s  forehead.  When  men  carry  them  they  hold 
them  in  their  arms.  The  hair  of  very  young  children 
is  shaven,  and  from  about  five  to  fifteen  the  boys  wear 
either  a large  tonsure  or  tufts  above  the  ears,  while  the 
girls  are  allowed  to  grow  hair  all  over  their  heads. 

Implicit  and  prompt  obedience  is  required  from  in- 
fancy ; and  from  a very  early  age  the  children  are  util- 
ised by  being  made  to  fetch  and  carry  and  go  on  mes- 
sages. I have  seen  children  apparently  not  more  than 
two  years  old  sent  for  wood ; and  even  at  this  age  they 
are  so  thoroughly  trained  in  the  observances  of  eti- 
quette, that  babies  just  able  to  walk  never  toddle  into 
or  out  of  this  house  without  formal  salutations  to  each 
person  within  it,  the  mother  alone  excepted.  Thej’ 
don’t  wear  any  clothing  till  they  are  seven  or  eight 
years  old,  and  are  then  dressed  like  their  elders.  Their 
manners  to  their  parents  are  very  affectionate.  Even 
to-day,  in  the  chiefs  awe-inspiring  presence,  one  dear 
little  nude  creature,  who  had  been  sitting  quietly  for 
two  hours  staring  into  the  fire  with  her  big  brown  eyes, 
rushed  to  meet  her  mother  when  she  entered,  and  threw 
her  arms  round  her,  to  which  the  woman  responded  by 
a look  of  true  maternal  tenderness  and  a kiss.  These 


82 


UNBEATEN  TRACKS  IN  JAPAN. 


little  creatures,  in  the  absolute  unconsciousness  of  inno- 
cence, with  their  beautiful  faces,  olive-tinted  bodies,  — 
all  the  darker,  sad  to  say,  from  dirt  — their  perfect 
docUity,  and  absence  of  prying  curiosity,  are  very  be- 
witching. They  all  wear  silver  or  pewter  ornaments 
tied  round  their  necks  by  a wisp  of  blue  cotton. 

Apparently  the  ordinary  infantile  maladies,  such  as 
whooping-cough  and  measles,  do  not  afflict  the  Ainos 
fatally ; but  the  children  suffer  from  a cutaneous  affec- 
tion, which  wears  off  as  they  reach  the  age  of  ten  or 
eleven  years,  as  weU  as  from  severe  toothache  with 
their  first  teeth. 


AINO  CLOTHING. 


83 


COSTUME  AND  CUSTOMS. 

AJno  Clothing  — Holiday  Dress  — Domestic  Architecture  — House- 
hold Gods — Japanese  Curios  — The  Necessaries  of  Life  — Clay 
Soup  — Arrow  Poison  — Arrow  Traps  — Female  Occupations  — 
Bark  Cloth  — The  Art  of  Weaving. 

Aino  clothing,  for  savages,  is  exceptionally  good. 
In  the  winter  it  consists  of  one,  two,  or  more  coats  of 
skins,  with  hoods  of  the  same,  to  which  the  men  add 
rude  moccasins  when  they  go  out  hunting.  In  summer 
they  wear  kimonos.,  or  loose  coats,  made  of  cloth  woven 
from  the  split  bark  of  a forest  tree.  This  is  a durable 
and  beautiful  fabric  in  various  shades  of  natural  buff, 
and  somewhat  resembles  what  is  known  to  fancy  work- 
ers as  “ Panama  canvas.”  Under  this  a skin  or  bark- 
cloth  vest  may  or  may  not  be  worn.  The  men  wear 
these  coats  reaching  a little  below  the  knees,  folded 
over  from  right  to  left,  and  confined  at  the  waist  by  a 
narrow  girdle  of  the  same  cloth,  to  which  is  attached  a 
rude,  dagger-shaped  knife,  with  a carved  and  engraved 
wooden  handle  and  sheath.  Smoking  is  by  no  means  a 
general  practice,  consequently  the  pipe  and  tobacco-box 
are  not,  as  with  the  Japanese,  a part  of  ordinary  male 
attire.  Tightly-fitting  leggings,  either  of  bark-cloth  or 
skin,  are  worn  by  both  sexes,  but  neither  shoes  nor  san- 
dals. The  coat  worn  by  the  women  reaches  half-way 
between  the  knees  and  ankles,  and  is  quite  loose  and 
without  a girdle.  It  is  fastened  the  whole  way  up  to 
the  collar-l)one ; arid  not  only  is  the  Aino  woman  com- 


84 


UNBEATEN  TRACKS  IN  JAPAN. 


pletely  covered,  but  she  will  not  change  one  garment 
for  another  except  alone  or  in  the  dark.  Lately  a 
Japanese  woman  at  Sarufuto  took  an  Aino  woman  into 
her  house,  and  insisted  on  her  taking  a bath,  which  she 
absolutely  refused  to  do  till  the  bath-house  had  been 
made  quite  private  by  means  of  screens.  On  the 
Japanese  woman  going  back  a little  later  to  see  what 
had  become  of  her,  she  found  her  sitting  in  the  water 
in  her  clothes  . and  on  being  remonstrated  with,  she 
said  that  the  gods  would  be  angry  if  they  saw  her  with- 
out clothes ! 

Many  of  the  garments  for  holiday  occasions  are  ex- 
ceedingly handsome,  being  decorated  with  “geometri- 
cal ” patterns,  in  which  the  “ Greek  fret  ” takes  part,  in 
coarse  blue  cotton,  braided  most  dexterously  mth  scarlet 
and  white  tliread.  Some  of  the  handsomest  take  half  a 
year  to  make.  The  masculine  dress  is  completed  by  an 
apron  of  oblong  shape  decorated  in  the  same  elaborate 
manner.  These  handsoiue  savages,  with  their  powerful 
pliijsique,  look  remarkablj^  well  in  their  best  clothes.  I 
have  not  seen  a boy  or  girl  above  nine  who  is  not 
thoroughly  clothed.  The  “jewels”  of  the  women  are 
large,  hoop  earrings  of  silver  or  pewter,  with  attach- 
ments of  a classical  pattern,  and  silver  neck  ornaments, 
and  a few  have  brass  bracelets  soldered  upon  their  arms. 
The  women  have  a perfect  passion  for  every  hue  of  red, 
and  I have  made  friends  with  them  by  di’shdiiig  among 
them  a large  turkey-red  silk  handkerchief,  sti’ips  of 
which  are  already  being  utilised  for  the  ornamenting 
v*f  coats. 

The  houses  in  the  five  villages  up  here  are  very  good. 
So  they  are  at  Horobets,  but  at  Shiraoi,  where  the  abo- 
rigines suffer  n-orn  the  close  proximity  of  several  grog 
shops,  they  are  inferior.  They  differ  in  many  ways  from 
auT  that  I have  before  seen,  approaching  most  nearly  to 


DOMESTIC  ARCHITECTUBE. 


85 


the  grass  houses  of  the  natives  of  Hawaii.  Custom  does 
not  appear  to  permit  either  of  variety  or  innovations ; 
in  all  the  style  is  the  same,  and  the  difference  consists 
in  the  size  and  plenishings.  The  dwellings  seemed  ill 
fitted  for  a rigorous  climate,  but  the  same  thing  may  be 
said  of  those  of  the  Japanese.  In  them  houses,  as  in 
(heir  faces, _the  Ainos  are  more  Eui-opean  than  their 
conquerors,  as  they  possess  doorways,  windows,  central 
fireplaces,  like  those  of  the  Highlanders  of  Scotland, 
and  raised  sleeping-places. 

The  usual  appearance  is  that  of  a small  house  built 
on  at  the  end  of  a larger  one.  The  small  house  is  the 
vestibule  or  ante-room,  and  is  entered  by  a low  doorway 
screened  by  a heavy  mat  of  reeds.  It  contains  the  large 
wooden  mortar  and  pestle  with  two  ends,  used  for  pound- 
ing millet,  a wooden  receptacle  for  millet,  nets  or  hunt- 
ing gear,  and  some  bundles  of  reeds  for  repairing  roof  or 
walls.  This  room  never  contains  a window.  From  it 
the  large  room  is  entered  by  a doorway,  over  which  a 
heavy  reed-mat,  bound  with  hide,  invariably  hangs. 
This  room  in  Benri’s  case  is  35  feet  long  by  25  feet 
broad,  another  is  45  feet  square,  the  smallest  measures 
20  feet  by  15.  On  entering,  one  is  much  impressed  by 
the  great  height  and  steepness  of  the  roof,  altogether 
out  of  proportion  to  the  height  of  the  walls. 

The  frame  of  the  house  is  of  posts,  4 feet  10  inches 
high,  placed  4 feet  apart,  and  sloping  slightly  inwards. 
The  height  of  the  walls  is  apparently  regulated  by  that 
of  the  reeds,  of  which  only  one  length  is  used,  and  which 
never  exceed  4 feet  10  inches.  The  posts  are  scooped 
at  the  top,  and  heavy  poles,  resting  on  the  scoops,  are 
laid  along  them  to  form  the  top  of  the  wall.  The  posts 
are  again  connected  twice  by  slighter  poles  tied  on  hori- 
zontally. The  wall  is  double ; the  outer  part  being 
formed  of  reeds  tied  very  neatly  to  the  framework  ic 


B6 


UNBEATEN  TRACES  IN  JAPAN. 


small,  regular  bundles,  the  inner  layer  or  wall  being 
made  of  reeds  attached  singly.  From  the  top  of  the 
pole,  which  is  secm-ed  to  the  top  of  the  posts,  the  fi-ame- 
work  of  the  roof  rises  to  a height  of  twenty -two  feet, 
made,  like  the  rest,  of  poles  tied  to  a heavy  and  roughly- 
hewn  ridge-beam.  At  one  end  under  the  ridge-beam 
there  is  a large  triangular  aperture  for  the  exit  of  smoke. 
Two  ver}'^  stout,  roughly-hewn  beams  eross  the  width  of 
the  house,  resting  on  the  posts  of  the  wall,  and  on  props 
let  into  the  floor,  and  a number  of  poles  are  laid  at  the 
same  height,  by  means  of  which  a secondary  roof  formed 
of  mats  can  be  at  once  extemporised,  but  this  is  oidy 
used  for  guests.  These  poles  answer  the  same  purpose 
as  shelves.  Very  great  care  is  bestowed  upon  the  out- 
side of  the  roof,  which  is  a marvml  of  neatness  and  pretti- 
ness, and  has  the  appearance  of  a series  of  frills,  being 
thatched  in  ridges.  The  ridge-pole  is  very  thickly  cov- 
ered, and  the  thatch  both  there  and  at  the  coiners  is 
elaborately  laced  with  a pattern  in  strong  peeled  twigs. 
The  poles,  which,  for  much  of  the  room,  run  from  wall 
to  wall,  compel  one  to  stoop,  to  avoid  fracturing  one's 
skull,  and  bringing  down  spears,  bows  and  arrows, 
arrow-traps,  and  other  primitive  property.  The  roof 
and  rafters  are  black  and  shiny  from  wood  smoke. 
Immediately  under  them,  at  one  end  and  one  side, 
are  small,  square  windows,  which  are  closed  at  night 
by  wooden  shutters,  which  during  the  day-time  hang 
by  topes.  Nothing  is  a greater  insult  to  an  Aino  than 
to  look  in  at  his  window. 

On  the  left  of  the  doorway  is  invariably  a fixed 
ivooden  platform,  eighteen  inches  high,  and  covered 
with  a single  mat,  which  is  the  sleeping-place.  The  pil- 
lows are  small  stiff  bolsters,  covered  with  ornamental 
matting.  If  the  family  be  large  there  are  several  of 
these  sleepuig  platforms.  A pole  runs  horizontally  at 


HOUSEHOLD  GODS. 


87 


a fitting  distance  above  the  outside  edge  of  each,  over 
which  mats  are  thrown  to  conceal  the  sleepers  from  the 
rest  of  the  room.  The  inside  half  of  these  mats  is  plain, 
but  the  outside,  which  is  seen  from  the  room,  has  a dia- 
mond pattern  woven  into  it  in  dull  reds  and  browns. 
The  whole  floor  is  covered  with  a very  coarse  reed-mat, 
with  interstices  half  an  inch  wide.  The  fireplace,  which 
is  six  feet  long,  is  oblong.  Above  it,  on  a very  black 


AINO  GODS. 


and  elaborate  framework,  hangs  a very  black  and  shiny 
mat,  whose  superfluous  soot  forms  the  basis  of  the  stain 
used  in  tattooing,  and  whose  apparent  purpose  is  to  pre- 
vent the  smoke  ascending,  and  to  diffuse  it  equally 
throughout  the  room.  From  this  framework  depends 
the  great  cooking-pot,  which  plays  a most  important 
part  in  Aino  economy. 

Household  gods  form  an  essential  part  of  the  furnish- 


88 


UNBEATEN  TRACKS  IN  JAPAN. 


ing  of  every  house.  In  this  one,  at  the  left  of  th*-: 
entrance,  there  are  ten  white  wands,  with  shavings  de 
pending  from  the  upper  end,  stuck  in  the  wall;  anothei 
projects  from  the  window  which  faces  the  sunrise,  and 
the  great  god,  a white  post,  two  feet  high,  with  spirals 
of  shavings  depending  from  the  top,  is  always  planted 
in  the  floor,  near  the  wall,  on  the  left  side,  opposite  the 
fire,  between  the  platform  bed  of  the  householder  and 
the  low,  broad  shelf  placed  invariably  on  the  same  side, 
and  which  is  a singular  feature  of  all  Aino  houses,  coast 
and  mountain,  down  to  the  poorest,  containing,  as  it 
does,  Japanese  curios,  many  of  them  very  valuable  ob- 
jects of  antique  art,  though  much  destroyed  by  damp 
and  dust.  They  are  true  curiosities  in  the  dwellings  of 
these  northern  aborigines,  and  look  almost  solemn 
ranged  against  the  wall.  In  this  house  there  are 
twenty-four  lacquered  urns,  or  tea-chests,  or  seats,  each 
standing  two  feet  high  on  four  small  legs,  shod  with 
engraved  or  filigree  brass.  Behind  these  are  eight  lacq- 
uered tubs,  and  a number  of  bowls  and  lacquer  trays, 
and  above  are  spears  with  inlaid  handles,  and  fine  Kaga 
and  Awata  bowls.  The  lacquer  is  good,  and  several  of 
the  urns  have  daimiyo's  crests  in  gold  upon  them.  One 
urn  and  a large  covered  bowl  are  beautifully  inlaid 
with  Venus’  ear.  The  great  urns  are  to  be  seen  in  every 
house,  and  in  addition  there  are  suits  of  inlaid  armour, 
and  swords  with  inlaid  hilts,  engraved  blades,  and 
rSpoussi  scabbards,  for  wliich  a collector  would  give 
almost  anything.  No  offers,  however  liberal,  can  tempt 
them  to  sell  any  of  these  antique  possessions.  “They 
<vere  presents,”  they  say  in  them  low,  musical  voices ; 
“ they  were  presents  from  those  who  were  kind  to  our 
fathers ; no,  we  cannot  sell  them ; they  were  presents.” 
And  so  gold  lacquer,  and  pearl  inlaying,  and  gold  niello- 
work,  and  daimiyo's  crests  in  gold,  continue  to  gleanj 


TEE  NECESSARIES  OF  LIFE. 


89 


iu  the  smoky  darkness  of  their  huts.  Some  of  these 
things  were  doubtless  gifts  to  their  fathers  when  they 
went  to  pay  tribute  to  the  representative  of  the  ShQgan 
and  the  prince  of  Matsumse,  soon  after  the  conquest 
of  Yezo.  Others  were  probably  gifts  from  samurai., 
who  took  refuge  here  dui-ing  the  rebellion,  and  some 
must  have  been  obtained  by  barter.  They  are  the  one 
possession  which  they  will  not  barter  for  salcS,  and  are 
only  parted  with  in  payment  of  fines  at  the  command 
of  a chief,  or  as  the  dower  of  a girl. 

Except  in  the  poorest  houses,  where  the  people  can 
only  afford  to  lay  down  a mat  for  a guest,  they  cover 
the  coarse  mat  with  fine  ones  on  each  side  of  the  fire. 
These  mats  and  the  bark-cloth  are  really  their  only 
manufactures.  They  are  made  of  fine  reeds,  with  a 
pattern  in  dull  reds  or  browns,  and  are  14  feet  long 
by  3 feet  6 inches  wide.  It  takes  a woman  eight  days 
to  make  one  of  them.  In  every  house  there  are  one  or 
two  movable  platforms  6 feet  by  4 and  14  inches  high, 
which  are  placed  at  the  head  of  the  fireplace,  and  on 
which  guests  sit  and  sleep  on  a bearskin  or  a fine  mat. 
In  many  houses  there  are  broad  seats  a few  inches  high, 
on  which  the  elder  men  sit  cross-legged,  as  their  custom 
is,  not  squatting  Japanese  fashion  on  the  heels.  A 
water-tub  always  rests  on  a stand  by  the  door,  and  the 
dried  fish  and  venison  or  bear  for  daily  use  hang  from 
the  rafters,  as  well  as  a few  skins.  Besides  these  things 
there  are  a few  absolute  necessaries,  — lacquer  or  wooden 
bowls  for  food  and  saJcS,  a chopping-board  and  rude 
chopping  knife,  a cleft  stick  for  burning  strips  of  birch- 
bark,  a triply-cleft  stick  for  supporting  the  potsherd  in 
which,  on  rare  occasions,  they  burn  a wick  with  oil,  the 
component  parts  of  their  rude  loom,  the  bark  of  which 
they  make  their  clothes,  the  reeds  of  which  they  make 
their  mats,  — and  the  inventory  of  the  essentials  of 


90 


UNBEATEN  TRACKS  IN  JAPAN. 


their  life  is  nearly  complete.  No  iron  enters  into  the 
construction  of  their  houses,  its  place  being  supplied  by 
a remarkably  tenacious  fibre. 

I have  before  described  the  preparation  of  their  food, 


2.7  Feet. 


Shelf 
of  lie  (Is 


WtnJoiv 


]V/  H (I (III 


' D uor  I 
VI  a t 


Fire 

hole 


O 


Woo  din  A t at- 
form  With  mat 


70  J 


O o 

^ noter 


Fa  6s 


Shelf 
of  beds 


7oJ 


Foil 

Shelf 

with 

.In fan. 
cun  ns. 


\Slielf  of  Vu  ri  os. 


Wi  nil  nil/ 

FLAK  07  AN  AINO  HOUSE. 


which  usually  consists  of  a stew  “ of  abominable  things.” 
They  eat  salt  and  fresh  fish,  dried  fish,  seaweed,  slugs, 
the  various  vegetables  which  grow  in  the  wilderness  of 
tall  weeds  which  surrounds  tlieir  villages,  ■wild  roots  and 
berries,  fresh  and  dried  venison  and  bear ; their  cami 


JO  F’ret 


ARROW  POISON. 


9] 


v^al  consisting  of  fresh  bear’s  flesh  and  sakS,  seaweed, 
mushrooms,  and  anything  they  can  get,  in  fact,  which 
is  not  poisonous,  mixing  everything  up  together.  They 
use  a wooden  spoon  for  stirring,  and  eat  with  chopsticks. 
They  have  only  two  regular  meals  a-day,  but  eat  very 
heartily.  In  addition  to  the  eatables  just  mentioned 
they  have  a thick  soup  made  from  a putty-like  clay 
which  is  found  in  one  or  two  of  the  valleys.  This  is 
boiled  wath  the  bulb  of  a wild  lily,  and  after  much  of 
the  clay  has  been  allowed  to  settle,  the  liquid,  which  is 
very  thick,  is  poured  off.  In  the  north,  a valley  where 
this  earth  is  found  is  called  Tsie-toi-nai,  literally,  “ eat- 
earth-valley.” 

The  men  spend  the  autumn,  winter,  and  spring  in 
hunting  deer  and  bears.  Part  of  their  tribute  or  taxes 
is  paid  in  skins,  and  they  subsist  on  the  dried  meat. 
Up  to  about  this  time  the  Ainos  have  obtained  these 
beasts  by  means  of  poisoned  arrows,  arrow-traps,  and 
pitfalls,  but  the  Japanese  Government  has  prohibited 
the  use  of  poison  and  arrow-traps,  and  these  men  say 
that  hunting  is  becoming  extremely  difficult,  as  the 
wild  animals  are  driven  back  farther  and  farther  into 
the  mountains  by  the  sound  of  the  guns.  However, 
they  add  significantly,  “the  eyes  of  the  Japanese  Gov- 
ernment are  not  in  every  place  ! ” 

Their  bows  are  only  three  feet  long,  and  are  made  of 
stout  saplings  wdth  the  bark  on,  and  there  is  no  attempt 
to  render  them  light  or  shapely  at  the  ends.  The  wood 
is  singularly  inelastic.  The  arrows  (of  which  I have 
obtained  a number)  are  very  peculiar,  and  are  made  in 
three  pieces,  the  point  consisting  of  a sharpened  piece 
of  bone  with  an  elongated  cavity  on  one  side  for  the 
reception  of  the  poison.  This  point  or  head  is  very 
slightly  fastened  by  a lashing  of  bark  to  a fusiform 
piece  of  bone  about  four  inches  long,  which  is  in  its 


92 


UNBEATEN  TBACES  IN  JAPAN. 


turn  lashed  to  a shaft  about  fourteen  inches  long,  tne 
other  end  of  which  is  sometimes  equipped  with  a triple 
feather  and  sometimes  is  not. 

The  poison  is  placed  in  the  elongated  cavity  in  the 
head  in  a very  soft  state,  and  hardens  afterwards.  In 
some  of  the  arrow-heads  fully  half  a teaspoonful  of  the 
paste  is  inserted.  From  the  nature  of  the  very  slight 
lashings  which  attach  the  arrow-head  to  the  shaft,  it 
constantly  remains  fixed  in  the  slight  wound  that  it 
makes,  while  the  shaft  falls  off. 

Pipichari  has  given  me  a small  quantity  of  the  poi- 
sonous paste,  and  has  also  taken  me  to  see  the  plant 
from  the  root  of  which  it  is  made,  the  Aconitum  Japoni- 
cum.,  a monkshood,  whose  tall  spikes  of  blue  flowers  are 
brightening  the  brushwood  in  all  directions.  The  root 
is  pounded  into  a pulp,  mixed  with  a reddish  earth  like 
an  iron  ore  pulverised,  and  again  with  animal  fat,  before 
being  placed  in  the  arrow.  It  has  been  said  that  the 
poison  is  prepared  for  use  by  being  buried  in  the  eaflh, 
but  Benri  says  that  this  is  needless.  They  claim  for  it 
that  a single  wound  kills  a bear  in  ten  minutes,  but 
that  the  flesh  is  not  rendered  unfit  for  eating,  though 
they  take  the  precaution  of  cutting  away  a considerable 
quantity  of  it  roimd  the  wound. 

Dr.  Eldridge,  formerly  of  Hakodate,  obtained  a small 
quantity  of  the  poison,  and,  after  trying  some  experi- 
ments with  it,  came  to  the  conclusion  that  it  is  less 
virulent  than  other  poisons  employed  for  a like  purpose 
as  by  the  natives  of  Java,  the  Bushmen,  and  certain 
tribes  of  the  Amazon  and  Orinoco.  The  Ainos  say  tLat 
if  a man  is  accidentally  wounded  by  a poisoned  arrow 
the  only  cure  is  immediate  excision  of  the  part. 

I do  not  wonder  that  the  Government  has  prohibited 
arrow-traps,  for  they  made  locomotion  unsafe,  and  it  is 
still  unsafe  a little  farther  north,  where  the  hunters  are 


FEMALE  OCCUPATIONS. 


93 


ojnre  out  of  observation  than  here.  The  traps  consist 
of  a large  bow  with  a poisoned  arrow,  fixed  in  such  n 
way  that  when  the  bear  walks  over  a 
cord  which  is  attached  to  it  he  is  simul- 
taneously transfixed.  I have  seen  as 
many  as  fifty  in  one  house.  The  sim- 
ple contrivance  for  inflicting  this  silent 
Qeath  is  most  ingenious. 

The  women  are  occupied  all  day,  as 
i have  before  said.  They  look  cheer- 
ful, and  even  merry  when  they  smile, 
and  are  not  like  the  Japanese,  prema- 
turely old,  partly  perhaps  because  their 
houses  are  well  ventilated,  and  the  use 
of  charcoal  is  unknown.  I do  not 
think  that  they  xindergo  the  unmitigated 
drudgery  which  falls  to  the  lot  of  most 
savage  women,  though  they  work  hard. 

The  men  do  not  like  tbem  to  speak  to 
strangers,  however,  and  say  that  their 
place  is  to  work  and  rear  children. 

They  eat  of  the  same  food,  and  at  the 
same  time  as  the  men,  laugh  and  talk 
before  them,  and  receive  equal  support 
and  respect  in  old  age.  They  sell  mats 
and  bark-cloth  in  the  piece,  and  made 
up,  when  they  can,  and  their  husbands 
do  not  take  their  earnings  from  them. 

All  Aino  women  understaiid  the  mak- 
ing of  bark-cloth.  The  men  bring  in 
Uie  bark  in  strips,  five  feet  long,  hav- 
ing removed  the  outer  coating.  This  wbavkii’s  bhuttu;. 
inner  bark  is  easily  separated  into  sev- 
eral tliin  layers,  which  are  split  into  very  narrow  strips 
by  the  older  women,  very  neatly  kjjotted,  and  wound 


94 


UNBEATEN  TRACKS  IN  JAPAN. 


into  balls  weigliing  about  a pound  each.  No  prepara 
tion  of  either  tlie  bark  or  the  thread  is  required  to  fit  il 
for  weaving,  but  I observe  that  some  of  the  women 
steep  it  in  a decoction  of  a bark  which  produces  a 
brown  dye  to  deepen  the  buff  tint. 

The  loom  is  so  simple  that  I almost  fear  to  represent 
it  as  complicated  by  description.  It  consists  of  a stout 
hook  fixed  in  the  floor,  to  which  the  threads  of  the  far 
end  of  the  web  are  secured,  a cord  fastening  the  near 
end  to  the  waist  of  the  worker,  who  supplies,  by  dex- 
terous rigidity,  the  necessary  tension  ; a frame  like  a 
comb  resting  on  the  anldes,  through  which  the  threads 
pass,  a hollow  roll  for  keeping  the  upper  and  under 
threads  separate,  a spatula-shaped  shuttle  of  engraA^ed 
wood,  and  a roller  on  which  the  cloth  is  rolled  as  it  is 
made.  The  length  of  the  web  is  fifteen  feet,  and  the 
width  of  the  cloth  fifteen  inches.  It  is  woven  with 
great  regularity,  and  the  knots  in  the  tlixead  are  care- 
fully kept  on  the  under  side.^  It  is  a very  slow  and 
fatiguing  process,  and  a Avoman  cannot  do  much  more 
than  a foot  a day.  The  weaver  sits  on  the  floor  AAuth 
the  whole  arrangement  attached  to  her  waist,  and  the 
loom,  if  such  it  may  be  called,  on  her  ankles.  It  takes 
long  practice  before  she  can  supply  the  necessary  ten- 
sion by  spinal  rigidity.  As  the  work  proceeds  she 
drags  herself  almost  imperceptibly  nearer  the  hook.  In 
this  house  and  other  large  ones  two  or  three  women 
bring  in  their  webs  in  the  morning,  fix  them  hooks, 
and  weave  all  day,  while  others,  who  haAm  not  equal 
advantages,  put  their  hooks  in  the  ground  and  Aveave 
in  the  sunshine.  The  web  and  loom  can  be  bundled  up 
in  two  minutes,  and  carried  away  quite  as  easily  as  a 

1 I have  not  been  able  to  obtain  from  any  botanist  the  name  of  the 
tree  from  the  bark  of  v-bicb  the  thread  is  made,  but  suppose  it  to  be  a 
species  of  TiliacecB. 


THE  ABT  OF  WEAVING.  9Ft 

knitted  sofa  blanket.  It  is  the  simplest  and  perhaps 
the  most  primitive  form  of  hand-loom,  and  comb,  shut- 
tle, and  roll,  are  all  easily  fashioned  with  an  ordinary 

knife. 


UNBJCATEmW  TBACKS  in  JAPAN. 


RELIGION  OF  AINOS. 

k Simple  Nature  ^Vorship  — Aino  Gods  — A Festival  Song— Reli- 
gious Intoxication  — Bear  Worship  — The  Annual  Saturnalia  — 
The  Future  State  — Marriage  and  Divorce  — Musical  Instruments 

— Etiquette  — The  Chieftainship  — Death  and  Burial  — Old  Age 

— Moral  Qualities. 

There  cannot  be  anything  more  vague  and  destitute 
of  cohesion  than  Aino  religious  notions.  With  the  ex- 
ception of  the  hill  sluines  of  Japanese  construction 
dedicated  to  Yoshitsun^,  they  have  no  temples,  and 
they  have  neither  priests,  sacrifices,  nor  -worship.  Ap- 
parently through  all  traditional  time  then-  cultics  has 
been  the  rudest  and  most  primitive  form  of  nature 
worship,  the  attaching  of  a vague  sacredness  to  trees, 
rivers,  rocks,  and  mountains,  and  of  vague  notions  of 
power  for  good  or  evil  to  the  sea,  the  forest,  the  fire, 
and  the  sun  and  moon.  I cannot  make  out  that  the}' 
possess  a trace  of  the  deification  of  ancestors,  though 
their  rude  nature  worship  may  well  have  been  the 
piimitive  form  of  Japanese  Shinto.  The  solitary  ex- 
ception to  their  adoration  of  annnate  and  inanimatf 
nature  appears  to  be  the  reverence  paid  tc  YoshitsunG 
to  whom  they  believe  they  are  greatly  indebted,  and 
who,  it  is  supposed  by  some,  will  yet  interfere  on  their 
behalf.^  Their  gods,  that  is,  the  outward  symbols  of 

1 Yoshitsun^  is  the  most  popular  hero  of  Japanese  history,  and  the 
special  favourite  of  boys.  He  was  the  brother  of  Yoritomo,  who  was 
Bi>p('inted  by  the  Mikado  in  1192.  Sei-i  Tai  Shogun  (barbEiriaTi-subjugafc 


ELEMENTARY  RELIGION. 


97 


their  religion,  corresponding  most  likely  with  the  Shinto 
gohei.,  are  wands  and  posts  of  peeled  wood,  whittled 
nearly  to  the  top,  from  which  the  pendent  shavings  fall 
down  in  white  curls.  These  are  not  only  set  up  in 
their  houses,  sometimes  to  the  number  of  twenty,  but 
on  precipices,  banks  of  rivers  and  streams,  and  moun- 
tain passes,  and  such  wands  are  thrown  into  the  rivers 
as  the  boatmen  descend  rapids  and  dangerous  places. 
Since  my  baggage  horse  fell  over  an  acclivity  on  the  trail 
from  Sarufuto,  four  such  wands  have  been  placed  there. 
It  is  nonsense  to  write  of  the  religious  ideas  of  a people 
who  have  none,  and  of  beliefs  among  people  who  are 
merely  adult  children.  The  traveller  who  formulates 
an  Aino  creed 'must  “evolve  it  from  his  inner  con- 
sciousness.” I have  taken  infinite  trouble  to  learn  from 
themselves  what  their  religious  notions  are,  and  Shi- 
nondi  tells  me  that  they  have  told  me  all  they  know, 
and  the  whole  sum  is  a few  vague  fears  and  hopes,  and 
a suspicion  that  there  are  things  outside  themselves 

ing  great  general)  for  his  victories,  and  was  the  first  of  that  series  of 
great  Shoguns  whom  our  European  notions  distorted  into  “ Temporal 
Emiierors  ” of  Japan.  Yoshitsune,  to  whom  the  real  honour  of  these 
victories  belonged,  became  the  object  of  the  jealousy  and  hatred  of  his 
brother,  and  was  hunted  from  province  to  province,  till,  according  to 
popular  belief,  he  committed  hara-kiri,  after  killing  his  wife  and 
children,  and  his  head,  preserved  in  sak^,  was  sent  to  his  brother  at 
Kamakura.  Scholars,  however,  are  not  agreed  as  to  the  manner, 
period,  or  scene  of  his  death.  Many  believe  that  he  escaped  to  Yezo 
and  lived  among  the  vUnos  for  many  years,  dying  among  them  at  the 
close  of  the  twelfth  century.  None  believe  this,  more  firmly  than  the 
Ainos  themselves,  who  assert  that  he  taught  their  fathers  the  arts  of 
civilisation,  with  letters  and  numbers,  and  gave  them  righteous  laws, 
itud  he  is  worshipped  by  many  of  them  under  a name  which  signifies 
Master  of  the  Law.  I have  been  told  by  old  men  in  Biratori,  Usu,  and 
Lehunge,  that  a later  Japanese  conqueror  carried  away  the  books  in 
which  the  arts  were  written,  and  that  since  his  time  the  arts  themselves 
have  been  lost,  and  the  Ainos  have  fallen  into  their  present  condition! 
On  asking  why  the  Ainos  do  not  make  vessels  of  iron  and  clay  as  well 
as  knives  and  spears,  the  invariable  answer  is,  “ The  Japanese  took 
away  the  books.” 


98 


UNBEATEN  TRACES  IN  JAPAN. 


more  powerful  than  themselves,  whose  good  influences 
may  be  obtained,  or  whose  evil  influences  may  be 
averted,  by  libations  of  sake. 

The  word  worship  is  in  itself  misleading.  When  1 
use  it  of  these  savages  it  simply  means  libations  of  sak^. 
waving  bowls  and  wavhig  hands,  without  any  spiritual 
act  of  deprecation  or  supplication.  In  such  a sense  and 
such  alone  they  worship  the  sun  and  moon  (but  not  the 
stars),  the  forest,  and  the  sea.  The  wolf,  the  blact 
snake,  the  owl,  and  several  other  beasts  and  birds  have 
the  word  kamoi.,  god,  attached  to  them,  as  the  wolf  is 
the  “howling  god,”  the  owl  “the  bird  of  the  gods,”  a 
black  snake  the  “ raven  god,”  but  none  of  these  things 
are  now  “ worshipped,”  wolf-worship  having  quite  lately 
died  out.  Thunder,  “ the  voice  of  the  gods,”  inspires 
some  fear.  The  sun,  they  say,  is  their  best  god,  and 
the  fire  theii’  next  best,  obviously  the  divinities  from 
whom  their  greatest  benefits  are  received.  Some  idea 
of  gratitude  pervades  their  rude  notions,  as  in  the  case 
of  the  “worship  ” paid  to  Yoshitsune,  and  it  appears  in 
one  of  the  rude  recitations  chanted  at  the  Saturnalia 
which  in  several  places  conclude  the  hunting  and  fish- 
ing seasons : — 

“ To  the  sea  which  nourishes  us,  to  the  forest  which 
protects  us,  we  present  our  grateful  thanks.  You  are 
two  mothers  that  nourish  the  same  child ; do  not  be 
angry  if  we  leave  one  to  go  to  the  other. 

“ The  Ainos  will  always  be  the  pride  of  the  forest 
and  of  the  sea.” 

The  solitary  act  of  sacrifice  which  they  perform  is 
the  placing  of  a worthless,  dead  bird,  something  like  a 
sparrow,  near  one  of  their  peeled  wands,  where  it  is  left 
till  it  reaches  an  advanced  stage  of  putrefaction.  “ To 
drink  for  the  god  ” is  the  chief  act  of  “ worship,”  and 
thus  drunkenness  and  religion  are  inseparably  con 


BEAR  WORSHIP. 


99 


nected,  as  the  more  saki  the  Ainos  drink  the  more 
devout  they  are,  and  the  better  pleased  are  the  gods. 
It  does  not  appear  that  anything  but  sake  is  of  suffi- 
cient value  to  please  the  gods.  The  libations  to  the 
fire  and  the  peeled  post  are  never  omitted,  and  are 
always  accompanied  by  the  inward  waving  of  the  sak4 
bowls. 

The  peculiarity  which  distinguishes  this  rude  mythol- 
ogy is  the  “worship  ” of  the  bear,  the  Yezo  bear  being 
one  of  the  finest  of  his  species,  but  it  is  impossible  to 
understand  the  feelings  by  which  it  is  prompted,  for 
they  worship  it  after  their  fashion,  and  set  up  its  head  in 
their  villages,  yet  they  trap  it,  kill  it,  eat  it,  and  sell  its 
skin.  There  is  no  doubt  that  this  wild  beast  inspires 
more  of  the  feeling  which  prompts  worship  than  the  in- 
animate forces  of  nature,  and  the  Ainos  may  be  distin- 
guished as  bear-worshippers,  and  their  greatest  religious 
festival  or  Saturnalia  as  the  Festival  of  the  Bear.  Gen- 
tle and  peaceable  as  they  are,  they  have  a great  admira- 
tion for  fierceness  and  courage ; and  the  bear,  which  is 
the  strongest,  fiercest,  and  most  courageous  animal 
known  to  them,  has  probably  in  all  ages  inspired  them 
with  veneration.  Some  of  their  rude  chants  are  in 
praise  of  the  bear,  and  their  highest  eulogy  on  a man  is 
to  compare  him  to  a bear.  Thus  Shinondi  said  of  Benri 
the  chief,  “ He  is  as  strong  as  a bear,”  and  the  old  Fate 
praising  Pipichari  called  him  “ The  young  bear.” 

In  all  Aino  villages,  specially  near  the  chief’s  house, 
there  are  several  tall  poles  with  the  fleshless  skull  of  a 
bear  on  the  top  of  each,  and  in  most  there  is  also  a large 
cage,  made  gridiron  fashion,  of  stout  timbers,  and  raised 
two  or  three  feet  from  the  ground.  At  the  present  time 
such  cages  contain  young  but  well-grown  bears,  cap- 
tured when  quite  small  in  the  early  spring.  After  the 
capture  the  bear  cub  is  introduced  into  a d welling-house, 


100 


UNBEATEN  TRACKS  IN  JAPAN. 


generally  that  of  the  chief,  or  sub-chief,  where  it  is 
suckled  by  a woman,  and  played  with  by  the  children, 
till  it  grows  too  big  and  rough  for  domestic  ways,  and 
is  placed  in  a strong  cage,  m which  it  is  fed  and  cared 
for,  as  I understand,  till  the  autumn  of  the  following 
)"ear,  when,  being  strong  and  well-grown,  the  Festival 
of  tas  Bear  is  celebrated.  The  customs  of  this  festival 
vary  considerably,  and  the  manner  of  the  bear’s  death 
differs  among  the  mountain  and  coast  Ainos,  but  every- 
where there  is  a general  gathering  of  the  people,  and  it 
is  the  occasion  of  a great  feast,  accompanied  with  much 
sake  and  a curious  dance,  in  which  men  alone  take 
part. 

Yells  and  shouts  are  used  to  excite  the  bear,  ana 
when  he  becomes  much  agitated  a chief  shoots  him  with 
an  arrow,  inflicting  a slight  wound  which  maddens  him, 
on  which  the  bars  of  the  cage  are  raised,  and  he  springs 
forth,  very  furious.  At  this  stage  the  Ainos  run  upon 
him  with  various  weapons,  each  one  striving  to  inflict  a 
wound,  as  it  brings  good  luck  to  draw  his  blood.  As 
soon  as  he  falls  down  exhausted,  his  head  is  cut  off,  and 
the  weapons  with  which  he  has  been  wounded  are 
offered  to  it,  and  he  is  asked  to  avenge  himself  upon 
them.  Afterwards  the  carcass,  amidst  a frenzied  up- 
roar, is  distributed  among  the  people,  and  amidst  feast- 
ing and  riot  the  head,  placed  upon  a pole,  is  worshipped, 
i.e.  it  receives  libations  of  sake.,  and  the  festival  closes 
with  general  intoxication.  In  some  villages  it  is 
customary  for  the  foster-mother  of  the  bear  to  utter 
[)iercing  wails  while  he  is  delivered  to  his  murderers, 
and  alter  he  is  slain  to  beat  each  one  of  them  with  a 
branch  of  a tree.  [Afterwards  at  Usu,  on  Volcano 
Bay,  the  old  men  told  me  that  at  their  festival  the} 
despatch  the  bear  after  a different  manner.  On  letting 
it  loose  from  the  cage  two  men  seize  it  by  the  ears,  and 


A BLANK  FUTURE. 


101 


others  simultaneously  place  a long,  stout  pole  across  the 
nape  of  its  neck,  upon  which  a number  of  Ainos  mount, 
and  after  a prolonged  struggle  the  neck  is  broken.  As 
the  bear  is  seen  to  approach  his  end,  they  shout  in 
chorus,  “ We  kill  you,  O bear!  come  back  soon  into  an 
Aino.’'  ] When  a bear  is  trapped  or  wounded  by  an 
arrow,  the  hunters  go  through  an  apologetic  or  propitia- 
tory ceremony.  They  appear  to  have  certain  rude  ideas 
of  metempsychosis,  as  is  evidenced  by  the  Usu  prayer 
to  the  bear  and  certain  rude  traditions,  but  whether 
these  are  indigenous,  or  have  arisen  by  contact  with 
Buddhism  at  a later  period,  it  is  impossible  to  say. 

They  have  no  definite  ideas  concerning  a future  state , 
and  the  subject  is  evidently  not  a pleasing  one  to  them. 
Such  notions  as  they  have  are  few  and  confused.  Some 
think  that  the  spirits  of  their  friends  go  into  wolves 
and  snakes  ; others,  that  they  wander  about  the  forests  : 
and  they  are  much  afraid  of  ghosts.  A few  think  that 
they  go  to  “ a good  or  bad  place,”  according  to  their 
deeds ; but  Shinondi  said,  and  there  was  an  infinite 
pathos  in  his  words,  “How  can  we  know?  No  one 
ever  came  back  to  tell  us  I ” On  asking  him  what  were 
bad  deeds,  he  said,  “ Being  bad  to  parents,  stealing,  and 
telling  lies.”  The  future,  however,  does  not  occupy 
any  place  in  their  thoughts,  and  they  can  hardly  be  said 
to  believe  in  the  immortality  of  the  soul,  though  their 
fear  of  ghosts  shows  that  they  recognise  a distinction 
between  body  and  spirit. 

Their  social  customs  are  very  simple.  Girls  never 
marry  before  the  age  of  seventeen,  or  men  before 
twenty-one.  When  a man  wishes  to  marry,  he  thinks 
of  some  particular  girl,  and  asks  the  chief  if  he  may 
ask  for  her.  If  leave  is  given,  either  through  a “go- 
between  ” or  personally,  he  asks  her  father  for  her,  and 
if  he  consents,  the  bridegroom  gives  him  a present, 


102 


UNBEATEN  TRACKS  IN  JAPAN. 


usually  a Japanese  “ curio.”  Tins  constitutes  betrothal 
and  the  marriage,  which  immediately  follows,  is  cele- 
brated by  carousals  and  the  drinking  of  much  sake. 
The  bride  receives  as  her  dowry  her  earrings  and  a 
highly-ornamented  kimono.  It  is  an  essential  that  the 
Imsband  provides  a house  to  which  to  take  his  wife 
Each  couple  lives  separately,  and  even  the  eldest  soa 
does  not  take  his  bride  to  his  father’s  house.  Polygamy 
is  only  allowed  in  two  cases.  The  chief  may  have  three 
wives  ; but  each  must  have  her  separate  house.  Benri 
has  two  wives ; but  it  appears  that  he  took  the  second 
because  the  first  was  childless.  [The  Usu  Aiuos  told 
me  that  among  the  tribes  of  Volcano  Bay  polygamy  is 
not  practised,  even  by  the  chiefs.]  It  is  also  permitted 
in  the  case  of  a childless  wife ; but  there  is  no  instance 
of  it  in  Biratori,  and  the  men  say  that  they  prefer  to 
have  one  wife,  as  two  quarrel. 

Widows  are  allowed  to  marry  again  with  the  chiefs 
consent;  but  among  these  mountain  Ainos  a woman 
must  remain  absolutely  secluded  witliin  the  house  of 
her  late  husband  for  a period  varying  from  six  to  twelve 
months,  only  going  to  the  door  at  intervals,  to  throw 
sake  to  the  right  and  left.  A man  secludes  himself 
similarly  for  thirty  days.  [So  greatly  do  the  customs 
vary,  that  round  Volcano  Bay  I found  that  the  period 
of  seclusion  for  a widow  is  onlj^  thii-ty  days,  and  for  a 
man  twenty-five ; but  that  after  a father’s  death  the 
house  in  which  he  has  lived  is  burned  down  after  the 
thirty  days  of  seclusion,  and  the  widow  and  her  children 
go  to  a friend’s  house  for  three  years,  after  which  the 
house  is  rebuilt  on  its  former  site.] 

If  a man  does  not  like  his  wife,  by  obtaining  the 
chief’s  consent  he  can  divorce  her ; but  he  must  send 
her  back  to  her  parents  with  plenty  of  good  clothes 
but  divorce  is  impracticable  where  there  are  children 


MUSICAL  INSTRUMENTS. 


103 


dmi  is  rarely  if  ever  practised.  Conjugal  fidelity  is  a 
virtue  among  Aino  women  • but  “ custom  ” provides 
that,  in  case  of  unfaithfulness,  the  injured  husband  may 
bestow  his  wife  upon  her  paramour,  if  he  be  an  un- 
married man ; in  which  case  the  chief  fixes  the  amount 
of  damages  which  the  paramour  must  pay ; and  these 
are  usually  valuable  Japanese  curios. 

The  old  and  blind  people  are  entirely  supported  by 
their  children,  and  receive  until  their  dying  day  filial 
reverence  and  obedience. 

If  one  man  steals  from  another,  he  must  return  what 
he  has  taken,  and  give  the  injured  man  a present  be- 
sides, the  value  of  which  is  fixed  by  the  chief. 

Their  mode  of  living  you  already  know,  as  I have 
shared  it,  and  am  still  receiving  their  hospitality. 
“ Custom  ” enjoins  the  exercise  of  hospitality  on  every 
Aii.o.  They  reeeive  all  strangers  as  they  received 
me,  giving  them  of  their  best,  placing  them  in  the 
most  honourable  place,  bestowing  gifts  upon  them, 
and,  when  they  depart,  furnishing  them  with  cakes  of 
boiled  millet. 

They  have  few  amusements,  except  certain  feasts. 
Their  dance,  which  they  have  just  given  in  iiry  honour, 
is  slow  and  mournful,  and  their  songs  are  chants  or 
recitative.  They  have  a musical  instrument,  some- 
thing like  a guitar,  with  three,  five,  or  six  strings, 
which  are  made  from  sinews  of  whales  cast  up  on  the 
shore.  They  have  another,  which  is  believed  to  be 
peculiar  to  themselves,  consisting  of  a thin  piece  of 
wood,  about  five  inches  long  and  two  and  a half  inches 
broad,  with  a pointed  wooden  tongue,  about  two  lines 
in  breadth  and  sixteen  in  length,  fixed  in  the  middle, 
and  grooved  on  three  sides.  The  wood  is  held  before 
the  mouth,  and  the  tongue  is  set  in  motion  by  the 
vibration  of  the  breath  in  singing.  Its  sound,  though 


104 


UNBEATEN  TRACKS  IN  JAPAN. 


less  penetrating,  is  as  discordant  as  that  of  a Jew's 
harp,  which  it  somewhat  resembles.  One  of  the  men 
used  it  as  an  accompaniment  of  a song ; but  they  are 
unwilling  to  part  with  them,  as  they  say  that  it  is  very 
seldom  that  they  can  find  a piece  of  wood  wliich  will 
bear  the  fine  splitting  necessary  for  the  tongue. 

Tliey  are  a most  courteous  people  among  each  other. 
The  salutations  are  frequent  — on  entering  a house,  on 
leaving  it,  on  meeting  on  the  road,  on  receiving  any- 
thing from  the  hand  of  another,  and  on  receiving  a 
kind  or  complimentary  speech.  They  do  not  make 
any  acknowledgments  of  this  kind  to  the  women,  how- 
ever. The  common  salutation  consists  in  extending 
the  hands  and  waving  them  inwards,  once  or  oftener, 
and  stroking  the  beard ; the  formal  one  in  raising  the 
hands  with  an  inward  curve  to  the  level  of  the  head 
two  or  three  times,  lowering  them,  and  rubbing  them 
together ; the  ceremony  concluding  with  stroking  the 
beard  several  times.  The  latter  and  more  formal  mode 
of  salutation  is  offered  to  the  chief,  and  by  the  young 
to  the  old  men.  The  women  have  no  “manners ! ” 

They  have  no  “medicine  men,”  and  though  they  are 
aware  of  the  existence  of  healing  herbs,  they  do  not 
know  their  special  virtues  or  the  manner  of  using 
them.  Dried  and  pounded  bear’s  liver  is  their  specific, 
and  they  place  much  reliance  on  it  in  colic  and  other 
pains.  They  are  a healthy  race.  In  this  village  of 
300  souls,  there  are  no  chronically  ailing  people ; notli- 
iug  but  one  case  of  bronchitis,  and  some  cutaneous 
maladies  iimong  children.  Neither  is  there  any  case 
of  deformit}^  in  this  and  five  other  large  villages  which 
I have  visited,  except  that  of  a girl,  who  has  one  leg 
slightly  shorter  than  the  other. 

They  ferment  a kind  of  intoxicating  liquor  from  the 
root  of  a tree,  and  also  from  their  own  millet  and  Jap 


UNCLEANLY  HABITS. 


105 


anese  rice,  but  Japanese  sake  is  the  one  thing  that  thej 
care  about.  They  spend,  all  their  gains  upon  it,  and 
drink  it  in  enormous  quantities.  It  represents  to  them 
all  the  good  of  which  they  know,  or  can  conceive. 
Beastly  intoxication  is  the  highest  happiness  to  which 
these  poor  savages  aspire,  and  the  condition  is  sancti- 
fied to  them  under  the  fiction  of  “ drinking  to  the 
gods.”  Men  and  women  alike  indulge  in  tliis  vice. 
A few,  however,  like  Pipichari,  abstain  from  it  totally, 
taking  the  bowl  in  their  hands,  making  the  libations 
to  the  gods,  and  then  passing  it  on.  I asked  Pipichari 
why  he  did  not  take  sake.,  and  he  replied  with  a truth- 
ful terseness,  “ Because  it  makes  men  like  dogs.” 

Except  the  chief,  who  has  two  horses,  they  have  no 
domestic  animals  except  very  large,  yellow  dogs,  which 
are  used  in  hunting,  but  are  never  admitted  within 
the  houses. 

The  habits  of  the  people,  though  by  no  means  desti- 
tute of  decency  and  propriety,  are  not  cleanly.  The 
women  bathe  their  hands  once  a day,  but  any  other 
washing  is  unknown.  They  never  wash  their  clothes, 
and  wear  the  same  by  day  and  night.  I am  afraid  to 
speculate  on  the  condition  of  their  wealth  of  coal-black 
hair.  They  may  be  said  to  be  very  dirty,  as  dirty  fully 
as  masses  of  our  people  at  home.  Their  houses  swarm 
with  fleas,  but  they  are  not  worse  in  this  respect  than 
the  Japanese  yadoyas.  The  mountain  villages  have, 
however,  the  appearance  of  extreme  cleanliness,  being 
devoid  of  litter,  heaps,  puddles,  and  untidiness  of  .11 
kinds,  and  there  are  no  unpleasant  odours  inside  or 
outside  the  houses,  as  they  are  well  ventilated  and 
smoked,  and  the  salt  fish  and  meat  are  kept  in  the 
godowns.  The  hair  and  beards  of  the  old  men,  instead 
of  being  snowy  as  they  ought  to  be,  are  yellow  from 
emoke  and  dirt. 


106 


UNBEATEN  TRACKS  IN  JAPAN. 


They  have  no  mode  of  computing  time,  and  do  not 
know  their  own  ages.  To  them  the  past  is  dead,  yet 
like  other  conquered  and  despised  races  they  cling  to 
the  idea  that  in  some  far-off  age  they  were  a great 
nation.  They  have  no  traditions  of  internecine  strife, 
and  the  art  of  war  seems  to  have  been  lost  long  ago. 
T asked  Benri  about  this  matter,  and  he  says  that 
formerly  Ain  os  fought  with  spears  and  knives  as  well 
as  with  bows  and  arrows,  but  that  Yoshitsund,  their 
hero  god,  forbade  war  for  ever,  and  since  then  the 
two-edged  spear,  with  a shaft  nine  feet  long,  has  only 
been  used  in  hunting  bears. 

The  Japanese  Government  of  course  exercises  the 
same  authority  over  the  Ainos  as  over  its  other  sub- 
jects, but  probably  it  does  not  care  to  interfere  in 
domestic  or  tribal  matters,  and  within  tliis  outside 
limit  despotic  authority  is  vested  in  the  chiefs.  The 
Ainos  live  in  village  communities,  and  each  community 
has  its  own  chief,  who  is  its  lord  paramount.  It  ap- 
pears to  me  that  this  chieftainship  is  but  an  expansion 
of  the  paternal  relation,  and  that  all  the  village  fami- 
lies are  ruled  as  a unit.  Benri,  in  whose  house  I am,  is 
the  chief  of  Biratori,  and  is  treated  by  all  with  very 
great  deference  of  manner.  The  office  is  nominally  for 
life ; but  if  a chief  becomes  blind,  or  too  infirm  to  go 
about,  he  appoints  a successor.  If  he  has  a “ smart  ” 
son,  who  he  thinks  will  command  the  respect  of  the 
people,  he  appoints  him ; but  if  not  he  chooses  the 
most  suitable  man  in  the  village.  The  people  are 
called  upon  to  approve  the  choice,  but  their  ratifica- 
tion is  never  refused.  The  office  is  not  hereditary 
anywhere. 

Benri  appears  to  exercise  the  authority  of  a very 
strict  father.  His  manner  to  all  the  men  is  like  that 
of  a master  to  slaves,  and  they  bow  when  they  speak 


DEATH  AND  BURIAL. 


107 


to  him.  No  one  can  marry  without  his  approval.  If 
any  one  builds  a house  he  chooses  the  site.  He  has 
absolute  jurisdiction  in  civil  and  criminal  cases,  unless 
(wliich  is  very  rare)  the  latter  should  be  of  sufficient 
magnitude  to  be  reported  to  the  Imperial  officials.  He 
compels  restitution  of  stolen  property,  and  in  all  cases 
fixes  the  fines  which  are  to  be  paid  by  delinquents. 
He  also  fixes  the  hunting  arrangements  and  the  festi- 
vals. The  younger  men  were  obviously  much,  afraid 
of  incurring  his  anger  in  his  absence. 

An  eldest  son  does  not  appear  to  be,  as  among  the 
Japanese,  a privileged  person.  He  does  not  necessa- 
rily inherit  the  house  and  curios.  The  latter  are  not 
divided,  but  go  with  the  house  to  the  son  whom  the 
father  regards  as  being  the  “smartest.”  Formal  adop- 
tion is  practised.  Pipichari  is  an  adopted  son,  and  is 
likely  to  succeed  to  Benri’s  property  to  the  exclusion 
of  his  own  children.  I cannot  get  at  the  word  which 
is  translated  “ smartness,”  but  I understand  it  as  mean- 
ing general  capacity.  The  chief,  as  I have  mentioned 
before,  is  allowed  three  wives  among  the  mountain 
Ainos,  otherwise  authority  seems  to  be  his  only  priv- 
ilege. 

The  Ainos  have  a singular  dread  of  snakes.  Even 
their  bravest  fly  from  them.  One  man  says  that  it  is 
because  they  know  of  no  cure  for  their  bite,  but  there 
is  something  more  than  this,  for  they  flee  from  snakes 
which  they  know  to  be  harmless. 

They  have  an  equal  dread  of  their  dead.  Death 
seems  to  them  very  specially  “the  shadow  fear’d  of 
man.”  When  it  comes,  which  it  usually  does  from 
bronchitis  in  old  age,  the  corpse  is  dressed  in  its  best 
clothing,  and  laid  upon  a shelf  for  from  one  to  three 
days.  In  the  case  of  a woman  her  ornaments  are 
buried  with  her,  and  in  that  of  a man  his  knife  and 


108 


UNBEATEN  TRACKS  IN  JAPAN. 


sa/c^-stick,  and,  if  he  were  a smoker,  his  smoking  appa^ 
ratus.  The  corpse  is  sewn  up  with  these  things  in  a 
mat,  and,  being  slung  on  poles,  is  carried  to  a solitary 
grave,  where  it  is  laid  in  a recumbent  position.  Noth- 
ing will  induce  an  Aino  to  go  near  a grave.  Even  if  a 
valuable  bird  or  animal  falls  near  one,  he  will  not  go  to 
pick  it  up.  A vague  dread  is  for  ever  associated  with 
the  departed,  and  no  dream  of  Paradise  ever  lights  for 
the  Aino  the  “ Stygian  shades.” 

Beuri  is,  for  an  Aino,  intelligent.  Two  years  ago 
Mr.  Dening  of  Hakodate  came  up  here  and  told  him 
that  there  was  but  one  God  who  made  us  all,  to  which 
the  shrewd  old  man  replied,  If  the  God  who  made 
you  made  us,  how  is  it  that  you  are  so  different,  you  so 
rich,  we  so  poor  ? ” On  asking  him  about  the  magnifi- 
cent pieces  of  lacquer  and  inlaying  which  adorn  his 
curio  shelf,  he  said  that  they  were  his  father’s,  grand- 
father’s, and  great-grandfather’s  at  least,  and  he  thinks 
they  were  gifts  from  the  daimiyo  of  Matsumae  soon 
after  the  conquest  of  Yezo.  He  is  a grand-looking 
man,  in  spite  of  the  havoc  wrought  by  his  intemperate 
habits.  There  is  plenty  of  room  in  the  house,  and  this 
morning,  when  I asked  him  to  show  me  the  use  of  the 
spear,  he  looked  a truly  magnificent  savage,  stepping 
well  back  with  the  spear  in  rest,  and  then  springing 
forward  for  the  attack,  his  arms  and  legs  turning  into 
iron,  the  big  muscles  standing  out  in  knots,  his  frame 
quivering  •ndth  excitement,  the  thick  hair  falling  back 
in  masses  from  his  brow,  and  the  fire  of  the  chase  in  his 
eye.  I trembled  for  my  boy,  who  was  the  object  of  the 
imaginary  onslaught,  the  passion  of  sport  was  so  admir- 
ably acted. 

As  I write,  seven  of  the  older  men  are  sitting  by  the 
fire.  Theii’  grey  beards  fail  to  tlieir  waists  in  rippled 
masses,  and  the  slight  baldness  of  age  not  only  gives 


OLD  AGE. 


109 


tlieu)  a singularly  venerable  appearance,  but  enhances 
the  beauty  of  their  lofty  brows.  I took  a rough  sketch 
of  one  of  the  handsomest,  and  showing  it  to  him,  asked 
if  he  would  have  it,  but  instead,  of  being  amused  or 
pleased  he  showed  symptoms  of  fear,  and  asked  me  to 
burn  it,  saying  it  would  bring  liim  bad  luck,  and  he 
should  die.  However,  Ito  pacified  him,  and  he  accepted 
it,  after  a Chinese  character,  which  is  understood  to 
mean  good  luck,  bad  been  written  upon  it,  but  all  the 
others  begged  me  not  to  “make  pictures”  of  them,  ex- 
cept Pipichari,  who  lies  at  my  feet  like  a staghound. 

The  profusion  of  black  hair,  and  a curious  intensity 
about  their  eyes,  coupled  with  the  hairy  limbs  and  sin 
gularly  vigorous  physique.,  give  them  a formidably  sav 
age  appearance,  but  the  smile,  full  of  “ sweetness  and 
light,”  in  wliicli  both  eyes  and  mouth  bear  part,  and 
the  low,  musical  voice,  softer  and  sweeter  than  anything 
I have  previously  heard,  make  me  at  times  forget  that 
they  are  savages  at  all.  The  venerable  look  of  these 
old  men  harmonises  with  the  singular  dignity  and  cour- 
tesy of  their  manners,  but  as  I look  at  the  grand  heads, 
and  reflect  that  the  Ainos  have  never  shown  any  capa- 
city, and  are  merely  adult  children,  they  seem  to  suggest 
water  on  the  brain  rather  than  intellect.  I am  more 
and  more  convinced  that  the  expression  of  their  faces 
is  European.  It  is  truthful,  straightforward,  manly, 
but  both  it  and  the  tone  of  voice  are  strongly  tinged 
with  pathos. 

Before  these  elders  Benri  asked  me,  in  a severe  tone, 
if  I had  been  annoyed  in  any  way  during  his  absence. 
He  feared,  he  said,  that  the  young  men  and  the  women 
would  crowd  about  me  rudely.  I made  a compliment- 
ary speech  in  return,  and  all  the  ancient  hands  were 
waved,  and  the  venerable  beards  were  stroked  in  ac- 
knowledgment. 


110  UNBEATEN  TRACKS  IN  JAPAN. 

Tliese  Ainos,  doubtless,  stand  high  among  uncivilised 
peoples.  They  are,  however,  as  completely  irreclaim- 
able as  thi  wildest  of  nomad  tribes,  and  contact  with 
civilisation,  where  it  exists,  only  debases  them.  Several 
young  Ahios  were  sent  to  TbkiyO,  and  educated  and 
trained  in  various  ways,  but  as  soon  as  they  returned 
to  Yezo  they  relapsed  into  savagery,  retaining  nothing 
but  a knowledge  of  Japanese.  They  are  chaiming  in 
many  ways,  but  make  one  sad,  too,  by  their  stupidity, 
apathy,  and  hopelessness,  and  all  the  sadder  that  their 
numbers  appear  to  be  again  increasing,  and  as  their 
physique  is  very  fine,  there  does  not  appear  to  be  a pros 
pect  of  the  race  dymg  out  at  present. 

They  are  certainly  superior  to  many  aborigines,  as 
they  have  an  approach  to  domestic  life.  They  have 
one  word  for  house.,  and  another  for  home,  and  one  word 
for  husband  approaches  very  nearly  to  house  band. 
Truth  is  of  value  in  their  eyes,  and  this  in  itself  raises 
them  above  some  peoples.  Infanticide  is  unknown, 
and  aged  parents  receive  filial  reverence,  kindness,  and 
support,  while  in  their  social  and  domestic  relations 
there  is  much  that  is  praiseworthy. 

I must  conclude  this  letter  abruptly,  as  the  horses 
are  waiting,  and  I must  cross  the  rivers,  if  possible, 
before  the  bursting  of  an  impending  storm. 


1.  L.  B. 


A DELICACY. 


Ill 


A TIPSY  SCENE. 

A Pirting  Gift  — A Delicacy  — Generosity  — A Seaside  Village  — 
Pipichari’s  Advice  — A Drunken  Revel  — Ito’s  Prophecies  — The 
Kocho’s  Illness  — Patent  Medicines. 

Sarufuto,  Ybzo,  August  27. 

I LEFT  the  Ainos  yesterday  with  real  regret,  though 
I must  confess  that  sleeping  in  one’s  clothes,  and  the 
lack  of  ablutions,  are  very  fatiguing.  Benri’s  two 
wives  spent  the  early  morning  in  the  laborious  opera- 
tion of  grinding  millet  into  coarse  flour,  and  before  I 
departed,  as  their  custom  is,  they  made  a paste  of  it, 
rolled  it  with  their  unclean  fingers  into  well-shaped 
cakes,  boiled  them  in  the  unwashed  pot  in  which  they 
make  their  stew  of  “■  abominable  things,”  and  presented 
them  to  me  on  a lacquer  tray.  They  were  distressed 
that  I did  not  eat  them  food,  and  a woman  went  to  a 
village  at  some  distance  and  brought  me  some  venison 
fat  as  a delicacy.  All  those  of  whom  I had  seen  much 
came  to  wish  me  good-bye,  and  they  brought  so  many 
presents  (including  a fine  bearskin)  that  I shoifid  have 
needed  an  additional  horse  to  carry  them  had  I ac- 
cepted but  one  half. 

I rode  twelve  miles  through  the  forest  to  Mombets, 
where  I intended  to  spend  Sunday,  but  I had  the  worst 
horse  I ever  rode,  and  we  took  five  hours.  The  day  was 
dull  and  sad,  threatening  a storm,  and  when  we  got  out 
of  the  forest,  upon  a sand-hill  covered  with  oak  scrub, 
we  encountered  a most  furious  wind.  Among  the  many 


112 


UNBEATEN  TRACKS  IN  JAPAN. 


views  which  I have  seen,  that  is  one  to  be  remembered 
Below  lay  a bleached  and  bare  sand-hill,  with  a few  grej 
houses  huddled  in  its  miserable  shelter,  and  a heaped-up 
shore  of  grey  sand,  on  which  a brown-grey  sea  was 
bi  caking  with  clash  and  boom  in  long,  white,  ragged 
lines,  with  all  beyond  a confusion  of  surf,  surge,  and 
mist,  with  driving  brown  clouds  mingling  sea  and  sky, 
and  all  between  showing  only  in  glimpses  amidst  scuds 
of  sand. 

At  a house  in  the  scrub  a number  of  men  were  drink- 
ing sake  with  much  uproar,  and  a superb-looking  Aino 
came  out,  staggered  a few  yards,  and  then  fell  back- 
wards among  the  weeds,  a picture  of  debasement.  I 
forgot  to  tell  you  that  before  I left  Biratori,  I inveighed 
to  the  assembled  Ainos  against  the  practice  and  con- 
sequences of  sa/ce-drinking,  and  was  met  Avith  the  reply, 
“We  must  drink  to  the  gods,  or  we  shall  die,”  but 
Pipichari  said,  “You  say  that  which  is  good;  let  us 
give  Saks  to  the  gods,  but  not  drink  it,”  for  which  bold 
speech  he  was  severely  rebuked  by  Benri. 

Mombets  is  a stormily-situated  and  most  wretched 
cluster  of  twent3"-seven  decayed  houses,  some  of  them 
Aino,  and  some  Japanese.  The  fish-oil  and  seaweed 
fishing  trades  are  in  brisk  operation  there  now  for  a 
short  time,  and  a number  of  Aino  and  Japanese  stran- 
gers are  em])loyed.  The  boats  coidd  not  get  out  be- 
cause of  the  surf,  and  there  was  a drunken  debauch. 
The  whole  place  smelt  of  sake.  Tipsy  men  were  stag- 
gering about  and  falling  flat  on  their  backs,  to  lie  there 
like  dogs  till  the^^  were  sober,  — Aino  women  were 
vainly  endeavouring  to  drag  their  drunken  lords  home, 
and  men  of  both  races  were  reduced  to  a beastW  equal- 
ity. I went  to  the  yadoya  where  I intended  to  spend 
Sunday,  but  besides  being  very  dirty  and  forlorn,  it  was 
t he  very  centre  of  the  sake  traffic,  and  in  its  open  space 


A CHANGE  OE  PLAN. 


113 


there  were  men  in  all  stages  of  riotous  and  stupid  in- 
toxication. It  was  a sad  scene,  yet  one  to  be  matched 
in  a hundred  places  m Scotland  every  Saturday  after- 
noon. I am  told  by  the  KdcTid  here  that  an  Aino  can 
drink  four  or  five  times  as  much  as  a Japanese  without 
being  tipsy,  so  for  each  tipsy  Aino  there  had  been  an 
outlay  of  6s.  or  7s.,  for  sahe  is  8d.  a cup  here! 

I had  some  tea  and  eggs  in  the  daidohoro^  and  altered 
my  plans  altogether,  on  finding  that  if  I proceeded  far- 
ther round  the  east  coast  as  I intended,  I should  run 
the  risk  of  several  days’  detention  on  the  banks  of  num- 
erous “ bad  rivers,”  if  rain  came  on,  by  which  I should 
run  the  risk  of  breaking  my  promise  to  deliver  Ito  to 
Mr.  Maries  by  a given  day.  I do  not  surrender  this 
project,  however,  without  an  equivalent,  for  I intend  to 
add  100  miles  to  my  journey,  by  taking  an  almost  dis- 
used track  round  Volcano  Bay,  and  visiting  the  coast 
Ainos  of  a very  primitive  region.  Ito  is  very  much 
opposed  to  this,  thinking  that  he  has  made  a sufficient 
sacrifice  of  personal  comfort  at  Biratori,  and  plies  me 
with  stories,  such  as  that  there  are  “ many  bad  rivers 
to  cross,”  that  the  track  is  so  worn  as  to  be  impassable, 
that  there  are  no  yadoyas,  and  that  at  the  Government 
offices  we  shall  neither  get  rice  nor  eggs  I An  old  man 
who  has  turned  back  unable  to  get  horses  is  made  re- 
sponsible for  these  stories.  The  machinations  are  very 
amusing.  Ito  was  much  smitten  with  the  daughter  of 
the  house-master  at  Mororan,  and  left  some  things  in 
her  keeping,  and  the  desire  to  see  her  again  is  at  the 
bottom  of  his  opposition  to  the  other  route. 

Monday.  — The  horse  could  not  or  would  not  carry 
me  farther  than  Mombets,  so,  sending  the  baggage  on, 
I walked  through  the  oak  wood,  and  enjoyed  its  silent 
solitude,  in  spite  of  the  sad  reflections  upon  the  enslave- 
ment of  the  Ainos  to  sake.  I spent  yesterday  quietly 


114 


UNBEATEN  TRACKS  IN  JAPAN. 


ID  iny  old  quarters,  with  a fearful  storm  of  wind  ai.a 
rain  outside.  Pipichari  appeared  at  noon,  nominally 
to  bring  news  of  the  sick  woman,  who  is  recovering, 
and  to  have  his  nearly  healed  foot  bandaged  again,  but 
really  to  bring  me  a knife  sheath  which  he  has  carved 
lor  me.  He  lay  on  the  mat  in  the  corner  of  my  room 
most  of  the  afternoon,  and  I got  a great  many  more 
words  from  him.  The  house-master,  who  is  the  Koeho 
of  Sarufuto,  paid  me  a courteous  visit,  and  in  the  even- 
ing sent  to  say  that  he  wordd  be  very  glad  of  some 
medicine,  for  he  was  “ very  ill  and  going  to  have  fever.” 
He  had  caught  a bad  cold  and  sore  throat,  had  bad 
pains  in  his  limbs,  and  was  bemoaning  himself  ruefullj'. 
To  pacify  his  wife,  who  was  very  sony  for  hmi,  I gave 
him  some  “ Cockle’s  Pills,”  and  the  trapper’s  remedy 
of  “ a pint  of  hot  water  with  a pinch  of  cayenne  pepper,” 
and  left  him  moaning,  and  bundled  up  under  a pile  of 
futons.,  in  a nearly  hermetically  sealed  room,  with  a 
hibachi  of  charcoal  vitiating  the  air.  This  morning, 
when  I went  and  inquired  after  him  in  a properly  con- 
cerned tone,  his  wife  told  me  very  gleefully  that  he  was 
quite  well  and  had  gone  out,  and  had  left  25  sen  for 
some  more  of  the  medicines  that  I had  given  him,  so 
with  great  gravity  I put  up  some  of  Duncan  and  Flock- 
hart’s  most  pungent  cayenne  pepper,  and  showed  her 
how  much  to  use.  She  was  not  content,  however,  with- 
out some  of  the  “ Cockles,”  a single  box  of  which  has 
performed  six  of  those  “ miraculous  cures  ” which  re 
joice  the  hearts  and  fill  the  pockets  of  patent  medicine 
makers'  I.  L.  B 


A WELCOME  GIFT. 


115 


VISIT  TO  A VOLCANO. 

A Welcome  Gift  — Eecent  Changes  — Volcanic  Phenomena  — Inter- 
esting Tufa  Cones  — An  Aggressive  Trailer  — Semi-strangulation 
— A Fall  into  a Bear-trap  — The  Shiraoi  Ainos  — Horsebreaking 
and  Cruelty. 

Old  Moeokan,  Volcano  Bat,  Yezo,  September  2. 

After  the  storm  of  Sunday,  Monday  was  a grey,  still, 
tender  day,  and  the  ranges  of  wooded  hills  were  bathed 
in  the  richest  indigo  colouring.  A canter  of  seventeen 
miles  among  the  damask  roses  on  a very  rough  horse 
only  took  me  to  Yubets,  whose  indescribable  loneliness 
fascinated  me  into  spending  a night  there  again,  and 
encountering  a wild  clatter  of  wind  and  rain ; and 
another  canter  of  seven  miles  the  next  morning  took 
me  to  Tomakomai,  where  I rejoined  my  kuruma,  and 
after  a long  delay,  three  trotting  Ainos  took  me  to 
Shiraoi,  where  the  “ clear  shining  after  rain,”  and  the 
mountains  against  a lemon-coloured  sky,  were  extreme- 
ly beautiful ; but  the  Pacific  was  as  unrestful  as  a 
guilty  thing,  and  its  crash  and  clamour  and  the  severe 
cold  fatigued  me  so  much  that  I did  not  pursue  my 
journey  the  next  day,  and  had  the  pleasure  of  a flying 
visit  from  Mr.  Von  Siebold  and  Count  Diesbach,  who 
bestowed  a chicken  upon  me. 

I like  Shirafii  very  much,  and  if  I were  strongei 
would  certainly  make  it  a basis  for  exploring  a part  of 
the  interior,  in  which  there  is  much  to  reward  the  ex- 
plorer. Obviously  the  changes  in  this  part  of  Yezc 
have  been  comparatively  recent,  and  tlie  energy  of  the 


116 


UNBEATEN  TRACKS  IN  JAPAN. 


force  which  has  produced  them  is  not  yet  extinct.  The 
land  has  gained  from  the  sea  along  the  whole  of  this 
part  of  the  coast  to  the  extent  of  two  or  three  miles, 
the  old  beach  with  its  bays  and  headlands  being  a 
marked  feature  of  the  landscape.  This  new  formation 
appears  to  be  a vast  bed  of  pumice,  covered  by  a thin 
layer  of  vegetable  mould,  which  cannot  be  more  than 
fifty  years  old.  This  pumice  fell  durhig  the  eruption  of 
the  volcano  of  Tarumai,  which  is  very  near  Shiraoi,  and 
is  also  brought  down  in  large  quantities  from  the  inte- 
rior hills  and  valleys  by  the  numerous  rivers,  besides 
being  washed  up  by  the  sea.  At  the  last  eruption 
pumice  fell  over  this  region  of  Yezo  to  a medium 
depth  of  3 feet  6 inches.  In  nearly  all  the  rivers  good 
sections  of  the  formation  may  be  seen  in  their  deeply- 
cleft  banks,  broad,  light-coloured  bands  of  pumice,  with 
a few  inches  of  rich,  black,  vegetable  soil  above,  and 
several  feet  of  black  sea-sand  below.  During  a freshet 
which  occurred  the  first  night  I was  at  Shiraoi,  a single 
stream  covered  a piece  of  land  with  pumice  to  the  depth 
of  nine  inches,  being  the  wash  from  the  hills  of  the 
interior,  in  a course  of  less  than  fifteen  miles. 

Looking  inland,  the  volcano  of  Tarumai,  with  a bare 
grey  top  and  a blasted  forest  on  its  sides,  occupies  the 
right  of  the  picture.  To  the  left  and  inland  are 
mountains  witliin  mountains,  tumbled  together  in  most 
picturesque  confusion,  densely  covered  with  forest  and 
cleft  by  magnificent  ravines,  here  and  there  opening 
out  into  narrow  valleys.  The  whole  of  the  interior 
is  jungle,  penetrable  for  a few  miles  by  shallow  and 
rapid  rivers,  and  by  nearly  smothered  trails  made  by 
the  Ainos  in  search  of  game.  The  general  lie  of  the 
country  made  me  very  anxious  to  find  out  whether  a 
much-broken  ridge  lying  among  the  mountains  is  or  is 
not  a series  of  tufa  cones  of  ancient  date  ; and  apply- 


VOLCANIC  PHENOMENA. 


117 


ing  for  a good  horse  and  Aino  guide  on  horseback,  1 
left  Ito  to  amuse  himself,  and  spent  much  of  a most 
splendid  day  in  investigations  and  in  attempting  to  get 
round  the  back  of  the  volcano  and  up  its  inland  side. 
There  is  a great  deal  to  see  and  learn  there.  Oh  that 
1 had  strength ! After  hours  of  most  tedious  and  ex- 
hausting work  I reached  a point  where  there  were  sev- 
eral great  fissures  emitting  smoke  and  steam,  with 
occasiona.  subterranean  detonations.  These  were  on 
the  side  of  a small,  flank  crack  which  was  smoking 
heavily.  There  was  light  pumice  everywhere,  but 
nothing  like  recent  lava  or  scoriae.  One  fissure  was 
completely  lined  with  exquisite,  acicular  crystals  of 
sulphur,  which  perished  with  a touch.  Lower  down 
there  were  two  hot  springs  with  a deposit  of  sulphur 
round  their  margins,  and  bubbles  of  gas,  which,  from 
its  strong,  garlicky  smell,  I suppose  to  be  srdphuretted 
hydrogen.  Farther  progress  in  that  direction  was  im- 
possible without  a force  of  pioneers.  I put  my  arm 
down  several  deep  crevices  which  were  at  an  altitude 
of  only  about  500  feet,  and  had  to  withdraw  it  at  once, 
owing  to  the  great  heat,  in  which  some  beautiful  speci- 
mens of  tropical  ferns  were  growing.  At  the  same 
height  I came  to  a hot  spring  — hot  enough  to  burst 
one  of  my  thermometers,  which  was  graduated  above  the 
boiling  point  of  Fahrenheit ; and  tying  up  an  egg  in  a 
pocket-handkerchief  and  holding  it  by  a stick  in  the 
water,  it  was  hard  boiled  in  8^  minutes.  The  water 
evaporated  without  leaving  a trace  of  deposit  on  the 
handkerchief,  and  there  was  no  crust  round  its  margin. 
It  boiled  and  bubbled  with  great  force. 

Three  hours  more  of  exhausting  toil,  which  almost 
knocked  up  the  horses,  brought  us  to  the  apparent 
ridge,  and  I was  delighted  to  find  that  it  consisted  of  a 
lateral  range  of  tufa  cones,  which  1 estimate  as  being 


il8 


UNBEATEN  TRACKS  IN  JAPAN. 


from  200  to  350,  or  even  400  feet  high.  They  are 
densely  covered  vrith.  trees  of  considerable  age,  ani  a 
rich  deposit  of  mould;  but  their  conical  form  is  still 
admirably  defined.  An  hour  of  very  severe  work,  and 
energetic  use  of  the  knife  on  the  part  of  the  Aino,  took 
me  to  the  top  of  one  of  these  thi'ough  a mass  of  entan- 
gled and  gigantic  vegetation,  and  I was  amply  repaid 
by  finding  a deep,  well-defined  crateriform  ca^fity  of 
great  depth,  with  its  sides  richly  clothed  with  vegeta- 
tion, closely  resembling  some  of  the  old  cones  in  the 
island  of  Kauai.  This  cone  is  partial!}"  girdled  by  a 
stream,  which  in  one  place  has  cut  through  a bank  of 
both  red  and  black  volcanic  ash.  All  the  usual  phe- 
nomena of  volcanic  regions  are  probably  to  be  met 
with  north  of  ShiraQi,  and  I hope  they  will  at  some 
future  time  be  made  the  object  of  careful  investigation. 

In  spite  of  the  desperate  and  almost  overwhelming 
fatigue,  I have  enjoyed  few  things  more  than  that  “ ex- 
ploring expedition.”  If  the  Japanese  have  no  one  to 
talk  to  they  croon  hideous  discords  to  themselves, 
and  it  was  a relief  to  leave  Ito  behind  and  get  away 
with  an  Aino,  who  was  at  once  silent,  trustworthy,  and 
faithful.  Two  bright  rivers  bubbling  over  beds  of  red 
pebbles  run  down  to  Shhaoi  out  of  the  back  country, 
and  my  directions,  which  were  translated  to  the  Aino, 
were  to  follow  up  one  of  these  and  go  into  the  moun- 
tains in  the  direction  of  one  I pointed  out  tUl  I said 
“ ShiraSi.”  It  was  one  of  those  exquisite  mornings  which 
are  seen  sometimes  in  the  Scotch  Highlands  before  rain, 
with  intense  clearness  and  visibility,  a blue  atmosphere, 
a cloudless  sky,  blue  summits,  heavy  dew,  and  glorious 
sunshine,  and  under  these  chcum  stances  scenery  beau- 
tiful in  itself  became  entrancing. 

The  forest  is  a true  forest,  extending  northwards  for 
ever  100  miles,  with  unknown  eastern  and  western 


AGGRESSIVE  LIANAS. 


119 


limits.  The  principal  trees  are  two  species  of  oak, 
three  varieties  of  maple,  beeches  of  enormous  size,  ash 
and  elm,  all  entangled  by  a wild  vine  with  enormous 
cordate  leaves  and  a redundant  vigour  which  is  almost 
irritating.  A most  aggressive  trailer  it  is.  It  goes  up 
to  the  tops  of  the  tallest  trees,  and,  not  content  with 
oveiTUiming  them,  leaps  from  one  tree  top  to  another, 
clothes  dead  trees  with  more  than  their  living  beauty, 
twists,  loops,  and  knots  itself  as  if  it  did  not  know 
what  to  do  with  its  strength,  crushes  feeble  trees  in  its 
embrace,  hangs  loops  and  nooses  down  everywhere, 
makes  arbours,  disports  itself,  runs  altogether  riot,  and 
is  at  once  the  pride  and  the  peril  of  the  forest.  Some  of 
its  stems  are  as  thick  as  a man’s  leg,  and  will  bear  a 
heavier  strain,  they  say,  than  a frigate’s  best  hawser. 
Then  there  is  a trailer  of  the  hydrangea  genus,  with 
clusters  of  white  blossoms,  which  is  not  riotous,  and 
contents  itself  with  climbing  to  the  top  of  the  tallest 
trees,  and  clinging  to  them  with  the  tenacity  of  ivy, 
besides  the  wild  hop,  and  the  mistletoe  growing  on 
oaks,  and  many  others  less  striking.  The  undergrowth 
is  composed  mainly  of  ugly  weeds  six  feet  high,  and  in 
some  places  solely  of  the  dwarf,  dark-leaved  bamboo. 
In  the  openings  the  ground  is  covered  densely  with  a 
plumed,  reed-like  grass,  the  Eulalia  Japonica.,  which  in 
that  rich  soil  attains  a height  of  eight  feet : and  bamboo 
and  grass  would  be  equally  impossible  to  penetrate 
without  the  use  of  the  bill-hook,  were  it  not  for  the 
remains  of  the  trails  made  by  Aino  hunters. 

The  trailers  are  so  formidable  that  we  had  to  stoop 
over  our  horses’  necks  at  all  times,  and  with  pushing 
back  branches  and  guarding  my  face  from  slaps  and 
scratches,  my  thick  dogskin  gloves  were  literally  frayed 
off,  and  some  of  the  skin  of  my  hands  and  face  in  addi- 
tion, so  that  I returned  with  both  bleeding  and  swelled. 


120 


UNBEATEN  TRACKS  IN  JAPAN. 


It  was  Oil  the  return  ride  fortunately  that,  in  stooping 
to  escape  one  great  liana  the  loop  of  another  grazed  mj 
nose,  and,  being  unable  to  check  my  unbroken  horse  in- 
stantaneously, the  loop  caught  me  by  the  throat,  nearly 
strangled  me,  and  in  less  time  than  it  takes  to  tell  it  1 
was  drawn  over  the  back  of  the  saddle,  and  found  my- 
self lying  on  the  ground,  jammed  between  a tree  and 
the  hind  leg  of  the  horse,  which  was  quietlj'  feeding. 
The  Aino,  whose  face  was  very  badly  scratched,  missing 
me,  came  back,  said  never  a word,  helped  me  up,  brought 
me  some  water  in  a leaf,  brought  my  hat,  and  we  rode 
on  again.  I was  little  the  worse  for  the  fall,  but  on 
borrowing  a looking-glass  I see  not  only  scratches  and 
abrasions  all  over  my  face,  but  a livid  mark  round  my 
throat  as  if  I had  been  hung ! The  Aino  left  portions 
of  his  bushy  locks  on  many  of  the  branches.  You 
would  have  been  amused  to  see  me  in  this  forest,  pre- 
ceded by  this  hairy  and  formidable-looking  savage,  who 
was  dressed  in  a coat  of  skins  with  the  fur  outside, 
seated  on  the  top  of  a pack-saddle  covered  with  a deer 
hide,  and  with  his  hairy  legs  crossed  over  the  horse's 
neck,  a fashion  in  which  the  Ainos  ride  any  horses  over 
any  ground  with  the  utmost  serenity. 

It  was  a wonderful  region  for  beauty.  I have  not 
seen  so  beautiful  a view  in  Japan  as  from  the  river-bed 
from  which  I had  the  first  near  view  of  the  grand  as- 
semblage of  tufa  cones,  covered  with  an  ancient  vegeta- 
tion, backed  b}^  high  moimtains  of  volcanic  origin,  on 
whose  ragged  crests  the  red  ash  was  blazing  vermilion 
against  the  blue  sky,  with  a foreground  of  bright  waters 
flashing  through  a primeval  forest.  The  banks  of  these 
streams  were  deeply  excavated  by  the  heavy  rains,  and 
sometimes  we  had  to  jump  three  and  even  four  feet  out 
of  the  forest  into  the  river,  and  as  much  up  again,  fording 
the  Shiraoi  river  only  more  than  twenty  times,  and  often 


AN  OLD  BEAR-TRAP. 


121 


making  a pathway  of  its  treacherous  bed  and  rushing 
waters,  because  the  forest  was  impassable  from  the 
great  size  of  the  prostrate  trees.  The  horses  look  at 
these  jumps,  hold  back,  try  to  turn,  and  then,  making 
up  their  minds,  suddenly  plunge  down  or  up.  When 
the  last  vestige  of  a trail  disappeared,  I signed  to  the 
Aino  to  go  on,  and  our  subsequent  “ exploration  ” was 
all  done  at  the  rate  of  about  a mile  an  hour.  On  the 
openings  the  grass  grows  stiff  and  strong  to  the  height 
of  eight  feet,  with  its  soft  reddish  plumes  waving  in  the 
breeze.  The  Aino  first  forced  his  horse  through  it,  but 
of  course  it  closed  again,  so  that  constantly  when  he 
was  close  in  front  I was  only  aware  of  his  proximity  by 
the  tinkling  of  his  horse’s  bells,  for  I saw  nothing  of 
him  or  of  my  own  horse  except  the  horn  of  my  saddle. 
We  tumbled  into  holes  often,  and  as  easily  tumbled  out 
of  them ; but  once  we  both  went  down  in  the  most  un- 
expected manner  into  what  must  have  been  an  old  bear- 
trap,  both  going  over  our  horses’  heads,  the  horses  and 
ourselves  struggling  together  in  a narrow  space  in  a 
mist  of  grassy  plumes,  and  being  unable  to  communi- 
cate with  my  guide,  the  sense  of  the  ridiculous  situa- 
tion was  so  overpowering  that,  even  in  the  midst  of  the 
mishap,  I was  exhausted  with  laughter,  though  not  a 
little  bruised.  It  was  very  hard  to  get  out  of  that  pit- 
fall,  and  I hope  I shall  never  get  into  one  again.  It  is 
not  the  first  occasion  on  which  I have  been  glad  that 
the  Yezo  horses  are  shoeless.  It  was  throngh  this  long 
grass  that  we  fought  our  way  to  the  tufa  cones,  with 
the  red,  ragged  crests  against  the  bine  sky. 

The  scenery  was  magnificent,  and  after  getting  so  far, 
I longed  to  explore  the  sources  of  the  rivers,  but  be- 
sides the  many  difficulties  the  day  was  far  spent.  I was 
also  too  weak  for  any  energetic  undertaking,  yet  I felt 
an  intuitive  perception  of  the  passion  and  fascination 


122 


UNBEATEN  TRACKS  IN  JAPAN. 


of  exploring,  and  understood  liow  people  could  give  up 
their  lives  to  it.  I turned  away  from  the  tufa  cones 
and  the  glory  of  the  ragged  crests  very  sadly,  to  ride  a 
tired  horse  through  great  difficulties;  and  the  animal 
was  so  thorouglily  done  up  that  I had  to  walk  or  rather 
wade  for  the  last  hour,  and  it  was  nightfall  when  I re- 
turned, to  find  that  Ito  had  packed  up  all  my  things, 
had  been  waiting  ever  since  noon  to  start  for  Horobets, 
was  very  grumpy  at  having  to  unpack,  and  thorougldy 
disgusted  when  I told  him  that  I was  so  tued  and 
bruised  that  I should  have  to  remain  the  next  da}"  to 
rest.  He  said  indignantly,  “ I never  thought  that  when 
you’d  got  the  Kaitakushi  kuruma  you'd  go  off  the  road 
into  those  woods  ! ” We  had  seen  some  deer  and  many 
pheasants,  and  a successful  hunter  brought  in  a fine 
stag,  so  that  I had  venison  steak  for  supper,  and  was 
much  comforted,  though  Ito  seasoned  the  meal  with 
well-got-up  stories  of  the  impracticability  of  the  Vol- 
cano Bay  route. 

Shiraoi  consists  of  a large  old  Honjin,  or  yadoya, 
where  the  daimiyd  and  his  train  used  to  lodge  in  the 
old  days,  and  about  eleven  Japanese  houses,  most  of 
which  are  sake  shops,  a fact  which  supplies  an  explana- 
tion of  the  squalor  of  the  Aino  village  of  fifty-two 
houses,  which  is  on  the  shore  at  a respectful  distance. 
There  is  no  cultivation,  in  which  it  is  like  all  tlie  fish- 
ing villages  on  this  part  of  the  coast,  but  fish-oil 
and  fish-manure  are  made  in  immense  quantities,  and 
though  it  is  not  the  season  here,  the  place  is  pervaded 
by  “ an  ancient  and  fish-like  smell.” 

The  Aino  houses  are  much  smaller,  poorer,  and  dirtier 
than  those  of  Biratori.  I went  into  a number  of  them, 
and  conversed  with  the  people,  many  of  whom  under- 
stand Japanese.  Some  of  the  houses  looked  like  dens, 
and,  as  it  was  raining,  husband,  wife,  and  five  or  six 


JAPANESE  HOBSEBREAKING. 


123 


aaked  children,  all  as  dirty  as  they  could  be,  with  un- 
tempt,  elf-like  locks,  were  huddled  round  the  fires. 
Still,  bad  as  it  looked  and  smelt,  the  fire  was  the  hearth, 
and  the  hearth  was  inviolate,  and  each  smoked  and  dirt- 
stained  group  was  a family,  and  it  was  an  advance  upon 
the  social  life  of,  for  instance.  Salt  Lake  City.  I’he 
roofs  are  much  flatter  than  those  of  the  mountain 
Ainos,  and  as  there  are  few  store-houses,  quantities  of 
fish,  “green  ” skins,  and  venison,  hang  from  the  rafters, 
and  the  smell  of  these  and  the  stinging  of  the  smoke 
were  most  trying.  Few  of  the  houses  had  any  guest- 
seats,  but  in  the  very  poorest,  when  I asked  shelter 
from  the  rain,  they  put  their  best  mat  upon  the  ground, 
and  insisted,  much  to  my  distress,  on  my  walking  ove 
it  in  muddy  boots,  saying,  “It  is  Aino  custom.”  Even 
in  those  squalid  homes  the  broad  shelf,  with  its  rows 
of  Japanese  curios,  always  has  a place.  I mentioned 
that  it  is  customary  for  a chief  to  appoint  a successor 
when  he  becomes  infirm,  and  I came  upon  a case  in 
point,  through  a mistaken  direction,  which  took  us  to 
the  house  of  the  former  chief,  with  a great  empty  bear 
cage  at  its  door.  On  addressing  him  as  the  chief,  he 
said,  “ I am  old  and  blind,  I cannot  go  out,  I am  of  no 
more  good,”  and  directed  us  to  the  hoiise  of  his  suc- 
cessor. Altogether  it  is  obvious,  from  many  evidences 
in  this  village,  that  Japanese  contiguity  is  hurtful,  and 
that  the  Ainos  have  reaped  abundantly  of  the  disad- 
vantages without  the  advantages  of  contact  with  Jap- 
anese civilisation. 

That  night  I saw  a specimen  of  Japanese  horse-break- 
ing as  practised  in  Yezo.  A Japanese  brought  into 
the  village  street  a handsome,  spirited  young  horse, 
equipped  with  a Japanese  demi-pique  saddle,  and  a 
most  cruel  gag  bit.  The  man  wore  very  cruel  spurs, 
and  was  armed  with  a bit  of  stout  board  two  feet  long 


124 


UNBEATEN  TRACKS  IN  JAPAN. 


by  six  inches  broad.  The  horse  had  not  been  mounted 
before,  and  was  frightened,  but  not  the  least  vicious. 
He  was  spurred  into  a gallop,  and  ridden  at  full  speed 
up  and  down  the  street,  turned  by  main  force,  thrown 
on  his  haunches,  goaded  wth  the  spurs,  and  cowed  by 
being  mercilessly  thrashed  over  the  ears  and  eyes  with 
the  piece  of  board,  till  he  was  blinded  with  blood. 
Whenever  he  tried  to  stop  from  exhaustion,  he  was 
spurred,  jerked,  and  flogged,  till  at  last,  covered  with 
sweat,  foam,  and  blood,  and  with  blood  running  from 
his  mouth  and  splashing  the  road,  he  reeled,  staggered, 
and  fell,  the  rider  dexterously  disengaging  himself.  As 
soon  as  he  was  able  to  stand,  he  was  allowed  to  crawl 
into  a shed,  where  he  was  kept  without  food  till  morn- 
ing, when  a cliild  could  do  anything  with  him.  He  was 
“ broken,”  effectually  spirit-broken,  useless  for  the  rest 
of  his  life.  It  was  a brutal  and  brutalising  exhibition, 
as  triumphs  of  brute  force  always  are. 


THE  UNIVERSAL  LANGUAGE. 


125 


A WET  TRIP. 

The  Universal  Language  — The  Tezo  Corrals  — A “ Typt  oon  Rain  ” 
— DifiScult  Tracks  — An  Unenviable  Ride  — Drying  Clothes  — A 
Woman’s  Remorse. 

This  morning  I left  early  in  the  Tcuruma  mth  two 
kind  and  delightful  savages.  The  road  being  much 
broken  by  the  rains,  I had  to  get  out  frequently,  and 
every  time  I got  in  again  they  put  my  air-pillow  behind 
me,  and  covered  me  up  in  a blanket ; and  when  we  got 
to  a rough  river,  one  made  a step  of  his  back  by  which 
I mounted  their  horse,  and  gave  me  nooses  of  rope  to 
hold  on  by,  and  the  other  held  my  arm  to  keep  me 
steady,  and  they  would  not  let  me  walk  up  or  down  any 
of  the  hills.  What  a blessing  it  is  that,  amidst  the  con- 
fusion of  tongues,  the  language  of  kindness  and  cour- 
tesy is  universally  understood,  and  that  a kindly  smile 
on  a savage  face  is  as  intelligible  as  on  that  of  one’s 
own  countryman ! They  had  never  drawn  a huruma., 
and  were  as  pleased  as  children  when  I showed  them 
how  to  balance  the  shafts.  They  were  not  without  the 
capacity  to  originate  ideas,  for  when  they  were  tired  of 
the  frolic  of  pulling,  they  attached  the  kuruma  by  ropes 
to  the  horse,  which  one  of  them  rode  at  a “ scramble,” 
while  the  other  merely  ran  in  the  shafts  to  keep  them 
level.  This  is  an  excellent  plan. 

Horobets  is  a fishing  station  of  antique  and  decayed 
aspect,  with  eighteen  Japanese  and  forty-seven  Aino 
houses.  The  latter  are  much  larger  than  at  ShiraSi, 


126 


UNBEATEN  TRACKS  IN  JAPAN. 


and  their  very  steep  roofs  are  beautifully  constructed. 
It  was  a miserable  day,  with  fog  concealing  the  moun- 
tains and  lying  heavily  on  the  sea,  but  as  no  one  ex- 
pected rain,  I sent  the  Tcuruma  back  to  Mororan  and 
secured  horses.  On  principle  I always  go  to  the  corral 
myself  to  choose  animals,  if  possible,  without  sore 
backs,  but  the  choice  is  often  between  one  with  a mere 
raw.,  and  others  which  have  holes  in  their  backs  intc 
which  I could  put  my  hand,  or  altogether  uncovered 
spines.  The  practice  does  no  immediate  good,  but  by 
showing  the  Japanese  that  foreign  opinion  condemns 
these  cruelties  an  amendment  may  eventually  be 
brought  about.  At  Horobets,  among  twenty^  horses, 
there  was  not  one  that  I wordd  take,  — I should  like  to 
have  had  them  all  shot.  They  are  cheap  and  abundant, 
and  are  of  no  accoimt.  They  drove  a number  more 
down  from  the  hills,  and  I chose  the  largest  and  finest 
horse  I have  seen  in  Japan,  with  some  spirit  and  action, 
but  I soon  found  that  he  had  tender  feet.  We  shortly 
left  the  liigh-road,  and  in  torrents  of  rain  tiuned  off  on 
“ unbeaten  tracks,”  which  led  us  through  a very  bad 
swamp  and  some  much  swollen  and  very  rough  rivers 
into  the  mountains,  where  we  followed  a worn-out  track 
for  eight  miles.  It  was  literally  ‘•‘■foul  weather,”  dark 
and  still,  with  a brown  mist,  and  rain  falling  in  sheets. 
I threw  my  paper  waterproof  away  as  useless,  my 
clothes  were  of  course  soaked,  and  it  was  with  much 
difficulty'  that  I kept  my  shomo7i  and  paper  money  from 
being  reduced  to  pulp.  Typhoons  are  not  knovm  so  far 
north  as  Yezo,  but  it  was  what  the}'  call  a “typhoon 
rain  ” without  the  typhoon,  and  in  no  time  it  turned 
the  streams  into  torrents  barely  fordable,  and  tore  up 
such  of  a road  as  there  is,  wliich  at  its  best  is  a mere  wa- 
ter-channel. Torrents,  bringing  tolerable-sized  stones, 
tore  down  the  track,  and  when  the  horses  had  beer 


AN  UNENVIABLE  RIDE. 


127 


struck  two  or  tlii’ee  times  by  these,  it  was  with  difficult;^ 
that  they  could  be  induced  to  face  the  rushing  water. 
Constantly  in  a pass,  the  water  had  gradually  cut  a 
track  several  feet  deep  between  steep  banks,  and  the 
only  possible  walking  place  was  a stony  gash  not  wide 
enough  for  the  two  feet  of  a horse  alongside  of  each 
other,  down  which  water  and  stones  were  rushing  from 
behind,  with  all  manner  of  trailers  matted  overhead, 
and  between  avoiding  being  strangled  and  attempting 
to  keep  a tender-footed  horse  on  his  legs,  the  ride  was  a 
very  severe  one.  The  poor  animal  fell  five  times  from 
stepping  on  stones,  and  in  one  of  his  falls  twisted  my 
left  wrist  badly.  I thought  of  the  many  people  who 
envied  me  my  tour  in  Japan,  and  wondered  whether 
they  would  env}^  me  that  ride  ! 

After  this  had  gone  on  for  four  hours,  the  track,  with 
a sudden  dip  over  a hill-side,  came  down  on  Old  Moro- 
ran,  a village  of  thirty  Aiuo  and  nine  Japanese  houses, 
very  unpromising-looking,  although  exquisitely  situated 
on  the  rim  of  a lovely  cove.  The  Aino  huts  were 
small  and  poor,  mth  an  unusual  number  of  bear  skulls 
on  poles,  and  the  village  consisted  mainly  of  two  long 
dilapidated  buildings,  in  which  a number  of  men  were 
mending  nets.  It  looked  a decaying  place,  of  low,  mean 
lives.  But  at  a “ merchant’s  ” there  was  one  delightful 
room  with  two  translucent  sides  — one  opening  on  the 
village,  the  other  looking  to  the  sea  down  a short,  steep 
slope,  on  which  is  a quaint  little  garden,  with  dwarfed 
fir-trees  in  pots,  a few  balsams,  and  a red  cabbage  grown 
with  much  pride  as  a “ foliage  plant.” 

It  is  nearly  midnight,  but  my  bed  and  bedding  are  so 
wet  that  I am  still  sitting  up  and  drying  them,  patch  by 
patch,  with  tedious  slowness,  on  a wooden  frame  placed 
over  a charcoal  brazier,  wliich  has  given  my  room  the 
drj  ness  and  warmth  which  are  needed  when  a jierson 


128 


UNBEATEN  TRACKS  IN  JAPAN. 


has  been  for  many  hours  in  soaked  clothing,  and  has 
nothing  really  dry  to  put  on.  Ito  bought  a chicken  for 
my  supper,  but  when  he  was  going  to  kill  it  an  hour 
later,  its  owner  in  much  grief  returned  the  money,  say- 
ing she  had  brought  it  up,  and  could  not  bear  to  see  it 
killed.  This  is  a wild,  outlandish  place,  but  an  intuition 
tells  me  that  it  is  beautiful.  The  ocean  at  present  is 
thundering  up  the  beach  with  the  sullen  force  of  a heavy 
ground  swell,  and  the  rain  is  stdl  falling  in  torrents. 

I.L.B, 


A PERFECT  DAT. 


129 


A SURPRISE. 

‘More  than  Peace  ” — Geographical  Difficulties  — TJsu-taki  — A Gar- 
den Eegion  — Swimming  the  Osharu  — A Dream  of  Beauty  — A 
Sunset  Effect  — A Nocturnal  Alarm  — The  Coast  Ainos. 

Lebunge,  Volcano  Bat,  Ybzo,  September  6. 

“ Weary  wave  and  dying  blast 
Sob  and  moan  along  the  shore, 

All  is  peace  at  last.” 

And  more  than  peace.  It  was  a heavenly  morning. 
The  deep  blue  sky  was  perfectly  unclouded,  a blue  sea 
with  diamond  flash  and  a “ many-twinkling  smile  ” rip- 
pled gently  on  the  golden  sands  of  the  lovely  little  bay, 
and  opposite,  forty  miles  away,  the  pink  summit  of  the 
volcano  of  Komono-taki,  forming  the  south-western  point 
of  Volcano  Bay,  rose  into  a softening  veil  of  tender  blue 
haze.  There  was  a balmy  breeziness  in  the  air,  and 
tawny  tints  upon  the  hill,  patches  of  gold  in  the  woods, 
and  a scarlet  spray  here  and  there  heralded  the  glories 
of  the  advancing  autumn.  As  the  day  began,  so  it 
closed.  I should  like  to  have  detained  each  hour  as  it 
passed.  It  was  thorough  enjoyment.  I visited  a good 
many  of  the  Mororan  Ainos,  saw  their  well-grown  bear 
in  its  cage,  and  tearing  myself  away  with  difficulty  at 
noon,  crossed  a steep  hill  and  a wood  of  scrub  oak,  and 
then  followed  a trail  which  runs  on  the  amber  sands 
close  to  the  sea,  crosses  several  small  streams,  and  passes 
the  lonely  Aino  village  of  Maripu,  the  ocean  always  on 
the  left  and  wooded  ranges  on  the  right,  and  in  front  an 


130 


UNBEATEN  TRACKS  IN  JAPAN. 


apparent  bar  to  farther  progress  in  the  volcano  of  Usu- 
taki,  an  imposing  mountain,  rising  abruptly  to  a height 
of  nearly  3000  feet,  I should  think. 

In  Y ezo,  as  on  the  main  island,  one  can  learn  very 
little  about  any  prospective  route.  Usually  when  one 
makes  an  inquiry,  a Japanese  puts  on  a stupid  look, 
giggles,  tucks  his  thumbs  into  his  girdle,  hitches  up  his 
garments,  and  either  professes  perfect  ignorance,  or  gives 
one  some  vague  second-hand  information,  though  it  is 
quite  possible  that  he  may  have  been  over  every  foot 
of  the  ground  himself  more  than  once.  Whether  suspi- 
cion of  your  motives  in  asking,  or  a fear  of  compromising 
himself  by  answering,  is  at  the  bottom  of  this,  I don’t 
know,  but  it  is  most  exasperating  to  a traveller.  In 
Hakodatd  I failed  to  see  Captain  Blakiston,  who  has 
walked  round  the  whole  Yezo  sea-board,  and  all  I was 
able  to  learn  regarding  this  route  w'as  that  the  coast 
was  thinly-peopled  by  Ainos,  that  there  were  Govern- 
ment horses  which  could  be  got,  and  that  one  could 
sleep  where  one  got  them ; that  rice  and  salt  fish  were 
the  only  food  ; that  there  were  many  “ bad  rivers,”  and 
that  the  road  went  over  “ bad  mountains ; ” that  the 
only  people  who  went  that  way  were  Government 
ofiBcials  twice  a year,  that  one  could  not  get  on  more 
than  four  miles  a day,  that  the  roads  over  the  passes 
were  “ all  big  stones,”  etc.  etc.  So  this  Usu-taki  took 
me  altogether  by  surprise,  and  for  a time  confounded  all 
my  carefully-constructed  notions  of  locality.  I had  been 
told  that  the  one  volcano  in  the  bay  was  Komono-taki, 
near  Mori,  and  this  I believed  to  be  eighty  miles  off,  and 
there,  confronting  me,  within  a distance  of  two  miles, 
was  this  grand,  splintered,  vermilion-crested  thing,  with 
a far  nobler  aspect  than  that  of  “ the  ” volcano,  with  a 
curtain  range  in  front,  deeply  scored,  and  slashed  vuth 
ravines  and  abysses  whose  purple  gloom  was  uulighted 


GARDEN  CULTIVATION. 


133 


even  by  the  noonday  sun.  One  of  the  peaks  was  emit- 
ting black  smoke  from  a deep  crater,  another,  steam  and 
white  smoke  from  various  rents  and  fissures  in  its  side, 
vermilion  peaks,  smoke,  and  steam,  all  rising  into  a sky 
of  brilliant  blue,  and  the  atmosphere  was  so  clear  that  I 
saw  everything  that  was  going  on  there  quite  distinctly, 
especially  when  I attained  an  altitude  exceeding  that 
of  the  curtain  range.  Tt  was  not  for  two  days  that  I 
got  a correct  idea  of  its  geographical  situation,  but  [ 
was  not  long  in  finding  out  that  it  was  not  Komono- 
taki ! There  is  much  volcanic  activity  about  it.  I saw 
a glare  from  it  last  night  thirty  miles  away.  The  Ainos 
said  that  it  was  “ a god,”  but  did  not  know  its  name, 
nor  did  the  Japanese  who  were  living  under  its  shadow. 
At  some  distance  from  it  in  the  interior  rises  a great 
dome-like  mountain,  Shiribetsan,  and  the  whole  view  is 
grand. 

After  passing  through  miles  of  scrub  and  sand  we 
came  quite  suddenly  upon  the  agricultural  settlement 
of  Mombets,  where  the  Government  has  placed  a colo- 
ny of  600  Japanese,  and  the  verses  apply,  “ The  valleys 
are  so  thick  with  corn  that  they  laugh  and  sing  — the 
wilderness  and  the  solitary  place  shall  be  glad  for  them, 
and  the  desert  shall  rejoice  and  blossom  as  the  rose.” 
For  two  miles,  careful  manuring  and  assiduous  hand 
labour  have  turned  a sandy  waste  into  a garden,  a sea 
of  crops  without  a weed,  hundreds  of  acres  of  maize, 
wheat,  millet,  beans,  tobacco,  hemp,  egg  plants,  peaches, 
apricots,  pumpkins,  and  all  the  good  things  of  North- 
ern Japan,  beautiful  and  luxuriant,  with  a good  bridle 
road,  fenced  from  the  crops  by  a closely-cropped  willow 
hedge,  and  numbers  of  small,  neat  Japanese  houses, 
with  gardens  bright  with  portulaccas,  red  balsams,  and 
small  yellow  chrysanthemums,  all  glowing  in  the  sun- 
shine, a perfect  oasis,  showing  the  resources  which 


132 


UNBEATEN  TBAGKS  IN  JAPAN. 


Yezo  possesses  for  the  sustenance  of  a large  popula 
tion. 

I have  not  seen  above  three  or  four  Japanese  togethei 
since  I left  Hakodate,  and  I was  much  impressed  with 
their  ugliness,  the  lack  of  force  in  their  faces,  and  the 
feeble  physique  of  both  men  and  women,  as  compared 
with  that  of  the  aborigines.  The  Yezo  Japanese  don’t 
look  altogether  like  the  Japanese  of  the  main  island. 
They  are  as  the  colonists  of  Canada  or  Australia  as 
compared  with  the  small  farmers  of  England,  rougher, 
freer,  more  careless  in  their  dress  and  deportment,  and 
they  are  certainly  affected,  as  people  always  are,  by  the 
cheapness  and  abundance  of  horses,  which  they  ride 
cross-legged,  in  imitation  of  the  Ainos.  Till  I reached 
Mombets,  all  the  Japanese  I have  seen  have  led  a life 
of  irregular  and  precarious  industry,  very  different  from 
that  of  the  peasant  proprietors  of  the  main  island;  and 
in  the  dull  time  they  loaf  and  hang  about  “grog  shops” 
not  a little,  and  are  by  no  means  improved  by  the  habit 
of  lording  it  over  an  inferior  race. 

A little  beyond  Mombets  flows  the  river  Osharu 
one  of  the  largest  of  the  Yezo  streams.  It  was  mucL 
swollen  by  the  previous  day’s  rain ; and  as  the  ferry- 
boat was  carried  away,  we  had  to  swim  it,  and  the 
swim  seemed  very  long.  Of  course,  we  and  the  bag- 
gage got  very  wet.  The  coolness  with  which  the  Aino 
guide  took  to  the  water  without  gAdng  us  any  notice 
that  its  broad,  eddjdng  flood  was  a swim,  and  not  a 
ford,  was  very  amusing. 

From  the  top  of  a steepish  ascent  beyond  the  Osha- 
rugawa,  there  is  a view  into  what  looks  like  a very 
lovely  lake,  with  wooded  promontories,  and  little  bays, 
and  rocky  capes  in  miniature,  and  little  heights,  on 
which  Aino  liouses,  with  tawny  roofs,  are  clustered, 
and  then  the  track  dips  suddenly,  and  deposits  one,  not 


JAPANESE  EXILES. 


133 


by  a lake  at  all,  but  on  Usu  Bay,  an  inlet  of  the  Pacific, 
much  broken  up  into  coves,  and  with  a very  narrow 
entrance,  only  obvious  from  a few  points.  Just  as  the 
track  touches  the  bay,  there  is  a road-post,  with  a 
prayer-wheel  in  it,  and  by  the  shore  an  upright  stone 
of  very  large  size,  inscribed  with  Sanskrit  characters, 
near  to  a stone  staircase  and  a gateway  in  a massive 
stone-faced  embankment,  which  looked  much  out  of 
keeping  with  the  general  AvUdness  of  the  place.  On  a 
rocky  promontory  in  a wooded  cove,  there  is  a large, 
rambling  house,  greatly  out  of  repair,  inhabited  by  a 
Japanese  man  and  his  son,  who  are  placed  there  to  look 
after  Government  interests,  exiles  among  500  Ainos. 
From  among  the  number  of  rat-haunted,  rambling 
rooms  which  had  once  been  handsome,  I chose  one 
opening  on  a yard  or  garden  with  some  distorted  yews 
in  it,  but  found  that  the  great  gateway  and  the  amado 
had  no  bolts,  and  that  anything  might  be  appropriated 
by  any  one  with  dishonest  intentions ; but  the  house- 
master and  his  son,  who  have  lived  for  ten  years  among 
the  Ainos,  and  speak  their  language,  say  that  nothing 
is  ever  taken,  and  that  the  Ainos  are  thoroughly  honest 
and  harmless.  Without  this  assurance  I should  have 
been  distrustful  of  the  number  of  wide-mouthed  youths 
who  hung  about,  in  the  listlessness  and  vacuity  of  sav- 
agery, if  not  of  the  bearded  men  who  sat  or  stood  about 
the  gateway  with  children  in  their  arms. 

Usu  is  a dream  of  beauty  and  peace.  There  is  not 
much  difference  between  the  height  of  high  and  low 
water  on  this  coast,  and  the  lake-like  illusion  would 
have  been  perfect  had  it  not  been  that  the  rocks  were 
tinged  with  gold  for  a foot  or  so  above  the  sea  by  a 
delicate  species  of  fucus.  In  the  exquisite  inlet  where 
I spent  the  night,  trees  and  trailers  drooped  into  the 
water  and  were  mirrored  in  it,  their  green,  heavy  shad 


134 


UNBEATEN  TRACKS  IN  JAPAN. 


ows  lying  sharp  against  the  sunset  gold  and  pink  of  the 
rest  of  the  bay ; log  canoes,  with  planks  laced  upon 
their  gunwales  to  heighten  them,  were  drawn  upon  a 
tiny  beach  of  golden  sand,  and  in  the  shadiest  cove, 
moored  to  a tree,  an  antique  and  much-carved  junk  was 
“floating  double.”  Wooded,  rocky  knolls,  with  Aino 
huts,  the  vermilion  peaks  of  the  volcano  of  Usu-taki 
redder  than  ever  in  the  sinking  sun,  a few  Ainos  mend- 
ing their  nets,  a few  more  spreading  edible  seaweed  out 
to  dry,  a single  canoe  breaking  the  golden  mirror  of  the 
cove  by  its  noiseless  motion,  a few  Aino  loungers,  with 
their  “ mild-eyed,  melancholy  ” faces  and  quiet  ways 
suiting  the  quiet  evenmg  scene,  the  unearthly  sweet- 
ness of  a temple  hell  — this  was  all,  and  yet  it  was  the 
loveliest  picture  I have  seen  in  Japan. 

In  spite  of  Tto’s  remonstrances  and  his  protestations 
that  an  exceptionally  good  supper  would  be  spoiled,  1 
left  my  rat-haunted  room,  with  its  tarnished  gilding 
and  precarious  fusvma,  to  get  the  last  of  the  pink  and 
lemon-coloured  glory,  going  up  the  staircase  in  the 
stone-faced  embankment,  and  up  a broad,  well-paved 
avenue,  to  a large  temple,  within  whose  open  door  I sat 
for  some  time  absolutely  alone,  and  in  a wonderful  still- 
ness ; for  the  sweet-toned  bell  which  vainl}'  chimes  for 
v^espers  amidst  this  bear-worshipping  population  had 
ceased.  This  temple  was  the  first  symptom  of  Japan- 
ese religion  that  I remember  to  have  seen  since  leaving 
Hakodate,  and  worshippers  have  long  since  ebbed  away 
from  its  shady  and  moss-grown  courts.  Yet  it  stands 
there  to  protest  for  the  teaching  of  the  great  Hindu; 
and  generations  of  Aino  heathen  pass  awa}"  one  after 
another;  and  still  its  bronze  bell  tolls,  and  its  altar 
lamps  are  lit,  and  incense  burns  for  ever  before  Buddha. 
Tlie  characters  on  the  great  bell  of  this  temple  are  said 
to  be  the  same  lines  which  are  often  graven  on  temple 


SAKYA-MUNI. 


135 


bells,  and  to  possess  the  dignity  of  twenty-four  cen- 
turies; 

‘ All  things  are  transient ; 

They  being  born  must  die, 

And  being  born  are  dead ; 

And  being  dead  are  glad 
To  be  at  rest.” 

The  temple  is  very  handsome,  the  baldachino  is  superb, 
and  the  bronzes  and  brasses  on  the  altar  are  specially 
fine.  A broad  ray  of  sunlight  streamed  in,  crossed  the 
matted  floor,  and  fell  full  upon  the  figure  of  Sakya- 
muni  in  his  golden  shrine ; and  just  at  that  moment  a 
shaven  priest,  in  silk-brocaded  vestments  of  faded  green, 
silently  passed  down  the  stream  of  light,  and  lit  the 
candles  on  the  altar,  and  fresh  incense  filled  the  temple 
with  a drowsy  fragrance.  It  was  a most  impressive 
picture.  His  curiosity  evidently  shortened  his  devo- 
tions, and  he  came  and  asked  me  where  I had  been 
and  where  I was  going,  to  which,  of  course,  I replied 
in  excellent  Japanese,  and  then  stuck  fast. 

Along  the  paved  avenue,  besides  the  usual  stone 
trough  for  holy  water,  there  are  on  one  side  the  thou- 
sand-armed Kwan-non,  a very  fine  relief,  and  on  the 
other  a Buddha,  throned  on  the  eternal  lotus  blossom, 
with  an  iron  staff,  much  resembling  a crozier,  in  his 
hand,  and  that  eternal  apathy  on  his  face  which  is  the 
liighest  hope  of  those  who  .hope  at  all.  I went  through 
a wood,  where  there  are  some  mournful  groups  <jf 
graves  on  the  hill-side,  and  from  the  temple  came  tho 
sweet  sound  of  the  great  bronze  bell  and  the  beat  of 
the  big  drum,  and  then,  more  faintly,  the  sound  of  the 
little  bell  and  drum,  with  which  the  priest  accompanies 
his  ceaseless  repetition  of  a phrase  in  the  dead  tongue 
of  a distant  land.  There  is  an  infinite  pathos  about  the 
lonely  temple  in  its  splendour,  the  absence  of  even  pos- 


136 


UNBEATEN  TRACKS  IN  JAPAN. 


sible  worshippers,  and  the  large  population  of  Ain  os, 
sunk  in  yet  deeper  superstitions  than  those  which  go  to 
make  up  popular  Buddhism.  I sat  on  a rock  by  the 
bay  till  the  last  pink  glow  faded  from  Usu-taki  and  the 
last  lemon  stain  from  the  still  water ; and  a beautiful 
crescent,  which  hung  over  the  wooded  hill,  had  set, 
and  the  heavens  blazed  with  stars : 

“ Ten  thousand  stars  were  in  the  sky, 

Ten  thousand  in  the  sea, 

And  every  wave  with  dimpled  face, 

That  leapt  upon  the  air, 

Had  caught  a star  in  its  embrace, 

And  held  it  trembling  there.” 

The  loneliness  of  Usu  Bay  is  something  wonderful  — 
a house  fidl  of  empty  rooms  falling  to  decay,  with  only 
two  men  in  it  — one  Japanese  house  among  500  sav- 
ages,  yet  it  was  the  onl}"  one  in  which  I have  slept  in 
wliich  they  bolted  neither  the  amado  nor  the  gate. 
During  the  night  the  amado  fell  out  of  the  worn-out 
grooves  with  a crash,  knocking  down  the  s/idyi',  which 
fell  on  me,  and  rousing  Ito,  who  rushed  into  my  room 
half-asleep,  with  a vague  vision  of  blood-thirsty  Ainos 
in  his  mind.  I then  learned  what  I have  been  very 
stupid  not  to  have  learned  before,  that  in  these  sliding 
wooden  shutters  there  is  a small  door  tlirough  which 
one  person  can  creep  at  a time  called  the  jishindo,  or 
“ earthquake  door,”  because  it  provides  an  exit  during 
the  alarm  of  an  earthquake,  in  case  of  the  amado  stick- 
ing in  their  grooves,  or  their  bolts  going  wrong.  I 
belie  76  that  such  a door  exists  ui  all  Japanese  houses. 

The  next  morning  was  as  beautiful  as  the  previous 
evening,  rose  and  gold  instead  of  gold  and  pink. 
Before  the  sun  was  well  up  I \dsited  a luunber  of  the 
Aino  lodges,  saw  the  bear,  and  the  chief,  who,  like  all 
the  rest,  is  a monogamist,  and,  after  breakfast,  ,at  my 


WORSHIP. 


137 


request,  some  of  tlie  old  men  came  to  give  me  such 
infcrmation  as  they  had.  These  venerable  elders  sat 
cross-legged  in  the  verandah,  the  house-master's  son, 
who  kindly  acted  as  interpreter,  squatting,  Japanese 
fashion,  at  the  side,  and  about  thirty  Aiuos,  mostly 
women,  with  uifants,  sitting  behind.  I spent  about 
two  hours  in  going  over  the  same  ground  as  at  Biratori, 
and  also  went  over  the  words,^  and  got  some  more, 
including  some  synonyms.  The  click  of  the  ts  before 
the  ch  at  the  beginning  of  a word  is  strongly  marked 
among  these  Aiuos.  Some  of  their  customs  differ 
slightly  from  those  of  their  brethren  of  the  interior, 
specially  as  to  the  period  of  seclusion  after  a death,  the 
non-allowance  of  polygamy  to  the  chief,  and  the  manner 
of  killing  the  bear  at  the  annual  festival.  Their  ideas 
of  metempsychosis  are  more  definite,  but  this,  I think, 
is  to  be  accounted  for  by  the  mfiuence  and  proximity 
of  Buddhism.  They  spoke  of  the  bear  as  their  chief 
god,  and  next  the  sun  and  fire.  They  said  that  they 
no  longer  worship  the  wolf,  and  that  though  they  call 
the  volcano  and  many  other  things  kamoi.,  or  god,  they 
do  not  worship  them.  I ascertained  be3^ond  doubt  that 
worship  with  them  means  simply  making  libations  of 
sake.,  and  “ drinking  to  the  god,”  and  that  it  is  unac- 
companied by  petitions,  or  any  vocal  or  mental  act. 

These  Ainos  are  as  dark  as  the  people  of  southern 
Spain,  and  very  hairy.  Their  expression  is  earnest  and 
pathetic,  and  when  they  smiled,  as  they  did  when  I 
could  not  pronounce  their  words,  their  faces  had  a 
touching  sweetness  which  was  quite  beautiful,  and 
European,  not  Asiatic.  Their  own  impression  is  that 
they  are  now  increasing  in  numl)ers  after  diminishing 
for  many  years.  I left  Usu  sleeping  in  the  loveliness 
of  an  autumn  noon  with  great  regret.  No  place  that  I 
have  seen  has  fascinated  me  so  much. 

1 See  Appendix  A. 


138 


UNBEATEN  TRACKS  IN  JAPAN. 


SOLITUDE. 

Tlie  Sea-shore  — A “Hairy  Aino”  — A Horse  Fight  — The  Horses  oi 
Yezo — “Bad  Mountains” — A Slight  Accident — Magnificent 
Scenery  — A Bieached  Halting-Place  — A Musty  Room  — jiino 
“ Good-breeding.” 

A CHARGE  of  3 sen  per  rt  more  for  the  horses  for  the 
next  stage,  because  there  ^yere  such  “ bad  mountains  to 
cross,”  prepared  me  for  what  followed  — many  miles  of 
the  worst  road  for  horses  I ever  saw.  I should  not 
have  complained  if  they  had  charged  double  the  price. 
As  an  almost  certain  consequence,  it  was  one  of  the 
most  pictui'esque  routes  I have  ever  travelled.  For 
some  distance,  however,  it  runs  placidly  along  by  the 
sea-shore,  on  which  big,  blue,  foam-crested  rollers  were 
disporting  themselves  noisily,  and  passes  through  sev- 
eral Aino  hamlets,  and  the  Aino  village  of  Abuta.  with 
sixty  houses,  rather  a prosperous-looking  place,  where 
the  cultivation  was  considerably  more  careful,  and  the 
people  possessed  a number  of  horses.  Several  of  the 
houses  were  surrounded  by  bears’  skulls  grinning  from 
between  the  forked  tops  of  high  poles,  and  there  was  a 
well-grown  bear  ready  for  his  doom  and  apotheosis.  In 
nearly  all  the  houses  a woman  was  weaving  bark-cloth, 
with  the  hook  which  holds  the  web  fixed  into  the 
ground  several  feet  outside  the  house.  At  a deep  river 
called  the  Nopkobets,  which  emerges  from  the  moun- 
tains close  to  the  sea,  we  were  t’erried  b}"  an  Aino  com- 
pletely covered  with  hair,  which  on  liis  shf)ulders  was 


A HORSE  FIGHT. 


139 


wavy  like  that  of  a retriever,  and  rendered  clothing 
quite  needless  either  for  covering  or  warmth.  A wavy, 
black  beard  rippled  nearly  to  his  waist  over  his  furry 
chest,  and,  with  his  black  locks  hanging  in  masses  over 
his  shoulders,  he  would  have  looked  a thorough  savage 
had  it  not  been  for  the  exceeding  sweetness  of  his  smile 
and  eyes.  The  Volcano  Bay  Ainos  are  far  more  hairy 
than  the  mountain  Ainos,  but  even  among  them  it  is 
quite  common  to  see  men  not  more  so  than  vigorous 
Europeans,  and  I think  that  the  hairiness  of  the  race 
as  a distinctive  feature  has  been  much  exaggerated, 
partly  by  the  smooth-skinned  Japanese. 

The  ferry  scow  was  nearly  upset  by  our  four  horses 
beginning  to  fight.  At  first  one  bit  the  shoulders  of 
another ; then  the  one  attacked  uttered  short,  sharp 
squeals,  and  returned  the  attack  by  striking  with  his 
fore  feet,  and  then  there  was  a general  melee  of  strik- 
ing and  biting,  till  some  ugly  wounds  were  inflicted.  I 
have  watched  fights  of  this  Idnd  on  a large  scale  every 
day  in  the  corral.  The  miseries  of  the  Yezo  horses  are 
the  great  drawback  of  Yezo  travelling.  They  are  bru- 
tally used,  and  are  covered  with  awful  wounds  from 
being  driven  at  a fast  “ scramble  ” with  the  rude,  un- 
girthed pack-saddle  and  its  heavy  load  rolling  about  on 
their  backs,  and  they  are  beaten  unmercifully  over  their 
eyes  and  ears  with  heavy  sticks.  Ito  has  been  barbar- 
ous to  these  gentle,  little-prized  animals  ever  since  we 
came  to  Yezo  ; he  has  vexed  me  more  by  this  than  by 
anything  else,  especially  as  he  never  dared  even  to 
carry  a switch  on  the  main  island,  either  from  fear  of 
the  horses  or  their  owners.  To-day  he  was  beating  the 
baggage-horse  unmercifully,  when  I rode  back  and  in- 
terfered with  some  very  strong  language,  saying,  “ You 
are  a bully,  and,  like  all  bullies,  a coward.”  Imagine 
my  aggravation  when,  at  our  first  halt,  he  brought  out 


140 


UNBEATEN  TBACES  IN  JAPAN. 


his  note-book  as  usual,  and  quietly  asked  me  the  mean- 
ing of  the  words  “ bully  ” and  “ coward.”  It  was  per- 
fectly impossible  to  explain  them,  so  I said  a bully  was 
the  worst  name  I could  call  Mm,  and  that  a coward  was 
the  meanest  thing  a man  could  be.  Then  the  provok- 
ing boy  said,  “ Is  bully  a worse  name  than  devil  ? ” 
“ Yes,  far  worse,”  I said,  on  wMch  he  seemed  rather 
crestfallen,  and  he  has  not  beaten  Ms  horse  smce,  m my 
sight  at  least. 

The  breaking-in  process  is  simply  breaking  the  spirit 
by  an  hour  or  two  of  such  atrocious  cruelty  as  I saw  at 
Shiraoi,  at  the  end  of  which  the  horse,  covered  with 
foam  and  blood,  and  bleeding  from  mouth  and  nose, 
falls  down  exhausted.  Being  so  ill  used,  they  have  all 
kinds  of  tricks,  such  as  l3dng  down  in  fords,  tMowing 
themselves  down  head  foremost  and  rolling  over  pack 
and  rider,  bucMng,  and  resisting  attempts  to  make  them 
go  otherwise  than  in  single  file.  Instead  of  bits  thev 
have  bars  of  wood  on  each  side  of  the  mouth,  secured 
by  a rope  round  the  nose  and  cliin.  When  horses 
wMch  have  been  broken  with  bits  gallop  they  put  up 
their  heads  till  the  nose  is  level  with  the  ears,  and  it  is 
useless  to  try  either  to  guide  or  check  them.  They  are 
always  wanting  to  join  the  great  herds  on  the  Mil-side 
or  sea-shore,  from  which  they  are  only  driven  down  as 
they  are  needed.  In  every  Yezo  village  the  first  sound 
that  one  hears  at  break  of  day  is  the  gallop  of  forty  or 
fifty  horses,  pursued  by  an  Amo,  who  has  hunted  them 
from  the  Mils.  A horse  is  worth  from  twenty-eight 
shillings  upwards.  They  are  very  sure-footed  when 
their  feet  are  not  sore,  and  cross  a stream  or  chasm  on  a 
single  rickety  plank,  or  walk  on  a narrow  ledge  above  a 
river  or  gulch  without  fear.  They  are  barefooted,  their 
hoofs  are  very  hard,  and  I am  glad  to  be  rid  of  the  per- 
petual tying  and  imtying  anvi  replacing  of  the  strata 


BAD  mountains:’ 


14] 


shoes  of  the  well-cared-for  horses  of  the  main  island. 
A man  rides  with  them,  and  for  a man  and  three  horses 
the  charge  is  only  sixpence  for  each  2^  miles.  I am 
now  making  Ito  ride  in  front  of  me,  to  make  sure  that 
he  does  not  beat  or  otherwise  misuse  his  beast. 

After  crossing  the  Nopkobets,  from  which  the  fight- 
ing horses  have  led  me  to  make  so  long  a digression, 
we  went  right  up  into  the  “bad  mountains,”  and 
crossed  the  three  tremendous  passes  of  Lebung(^toge. 
Except  by  saying  that  this  disused  bridle-track  is 
impassable,  people  have  scarcely  exaggerated  its  diffi- 
culties. One  horse  broke  down  on  the  first  pass,  and 
we  were  long  delayed  by  sending  the  Aino  back  for 
another.  Possibly  these  extraordinary  passes  do  not 
exceed  1500  feet  in  height,  but  the  track  ascends  them 
through  a dense  forest  with  most  extraordinary  ab- 
ruptness, to  descend  as  abruptly,  to  rise  again  some- 
times by  a series  of  nearly  washed-away  zigzags,  at 
others  by  a straight,  ladder-like  ascent  deeply  chan- 
nelled, the  bottom  of  the  trough  being  filled  with 
rough  stones,  large  and  small,  or  with  ledges  of  rock 
with  an  entangled  mass  of  branches  and  trailers  over- 
head, which  render  it  necessary  to  stoop  over  the 
horse’s  head  while  he  is  either  fumbling,  stumbling, 
or  tumbling  among  the  stones  in  a gash  a foot  wide, 
or  else  is  awkwardly  leaping  up  broken  rock  steps 
nearly  the  height  of  his  chest,  the  whole  performance 
consisting  of  a series  of  scrambling  jerks  at  the  rate  of 
a mile  an  hour. 

In  one  of  the  worst  places  the  Aino’s  horse,  which 
was  just  in  front  of  mine,  in  trying  to  scramble  up  a 
nearly  breast-high  and  much-worn  ledge,  fell  back- 
wards, nearly  overturning  ray  horse,  the  stretcher 
poles,  which  formed  part  of  his  pack,  striking  me  so 
hard  above  my  ankle  that  for  some  minutes  after- 


142 


UNBEATEN  TRACKS  IN  JAPAN. 


«vards  I thought  the  bone  was  broken.  The  ankle 
was  severely  cut  and  bruised,  and  bled  a good  deal, 
and  I was  knocked  out  of  the  saddle.  Ito’s  horse  fell 
three  times,  and  eventually  the  four  were  roped  to- 
gether. Such  are  some  of  the  divertissements  of  Yezo 
travel. 

Ah,  but  it  was  glorious ! The  views  are  most  mag- 
nificent. This  is  really  Paradise.  Everything  is  here, 
— huge  headlands  magnificently  timbered,  small,  deep, 
bays  into  which  the  great  green  waves  roll  majesti- 
cally, great,  grey  cliffs,  too  perpendicular  for  even  the 
most  adventurous  trailer  to  find  root-hold,  bold  bluffs 
and  outlying  stacks  cedar-crested,  glimpses  of  bright, 
blue  ocean  dimpling  in  the  sunshine  or  tossing  up 
wreaths  of  foam  among  ferns  and  trailers,  and  inland 
ranges  of  mountains  forest-covered,  mth  tremendous 
gorges  between,  forest  filled,  where  woK,  bear,  and 
deer  make  their  nearly  inaccessible  lairs,  and  outljfing 
battlements,  and  ridges  of  grey  rock  with  hardly  six 
feet  of  level  on  their  sinuous  tops,  and  cedars  in  masses 
giving  deep  shadow,  and  sprays  of  scarlet  maple  or 
festoons  of  a crimson  vine  lighting  the  gloom.  The 
inland  view  suggested  infinity.  There  seemed  no  limit 
to  the  forest-covered  mountains  and  the  unlighted 
ravines.  The  wealth  of  vegetation  was  equal  in  lux- 
uriance and  entanglement  to  that  of  the  tropics,  prime- 
val vegetation,  on  which  the  lumberer's  axe  has  never 
rung.  Trees  of  immense  height  and  girth,  speciall}’ 
the  beautiful  Salisburia  adiantifolia  with  its  smtir.  fan- 
shaped leaves,  all  matted  together  by  riotous  lianas, 
rise  out  of  an  impenetrable  undergrowth  of  the  dwarf, 
dark-leaved  bamboo,  which,  dwarf  as  it  is,  attains  a 
height  of  seven  feet,  and  all  is  dark,  solemn,  soundless, 
the  haunt  of  wild  beasts,  and  of  butterflies  and  dragon- 
flies of  the  most  brilliant  colours.  There  was  light 


BELATED  AT  LEBUNOt. 


143 


without  heat,  leaves  and  streams  sparkled,  and  there 
was  nothing  of  the  half-smothered  sensation  which  is 
often  produced  by  the  choking  greenery  of  the  main 
island,  for  frequently,  far  below,  the  Pacific  flashed  in 
ail  its  sunlit  beauty,  and  occasionally  we  came  down 
unexpectedly  on  a little  cove  with  abrupt  cedar-crested 
headlands  and  stacks,  and  a heavy  surf  rolling  in  with 
the  deep  thunder  music  which  alone  breaks  the  stillness 
of  this  silent  land. 

There  was  one  tremendous  declivity  where  I got  ofi 
to  walk,  but  found  it  too  steep  to  descend  on  foot  with 
comfort.  You  can  imagine  how  steep  it  was,  when  I 
tell  you  that  the  deep  groove  being  too  narrow  for  me 
to  get  to  the  side  of  my  horse,  I dropped  down  upon 
him  from  behind,  between  his  tail  and  the  saddle,  and 
so  scrambled  on ! 

The  sun  had  set  and  the  dew  was  falling  heavily 
when  the  track  dipped  over  the  brow  of  a headland, 
becoming  a waterway  so  steep  and  rough  that  I could 
not  get  down  it  on  foot  without  the  assistance  of  my 
hands,  and  terminating  on  a lonely  little  bay  of  great 
beauty,  walled  in  by  impracticable-looking  headlands, 
and  being  itself  the  entrance  to  an  equally  impracti- 
cable-looking, densely-wooded  valley  running  up  among 
densely-wooded  mountains.  There  was  a margin  of 
grey  sand  above  the  sea,  and  on  this  the  skeleton  of  an 
enormous  whale  was  bleaching.  Two  or  three  large 
“ dug-outs,”  with  planks  laced  with  stout  fibre  on  their 
gunwales,  and  some  bleached  drift-wood,  lay  on  the 
beach,  the  foreground  of  a solitary,  rambling,  dilapi- 
dated grey  house,  bleached  like  all  else,  where  three 
Japanese  men  with  an  old  Aino  servant  live  to  look 
after  “ Government  interests,”  whatever  these  may  be, 
and  keep  rooms  and  horses  for  Government  officials  — a 
great  boon  to  travellers  who,  like  n e,  are  belated  here. 


144 


UNBEATEN  TRACKS  IN  JAPAN. 


Only  one  person  has  passed  Lebungd  this  year,  except 
two  officials  and  a policeman. 

There  was  still  a red  glow  on  the  water,  and  one 
horn  of  a young  moon  appeared  above  the  wooded 
headland;  but  the  loneliness  and  isolation  are  over- 
powering, and  it  is  enough  to  produce  madness  to  be 
shut  in  for  ever  with  the  thunder  of  the  everlasting 
surf,  which  compels  one  to  raise  one’s  voice  in  order  to 
be  heard.  In  the  wood,  half  a mile  from  the  sea,  there 
is  an  Aino  village  of  thirty  houses,  and  the  appearance 
of  a few  of  the  savages  gliding  noiselessly  over  the 
beach  in  the  twilight  added  to  the  ghastliness  and 
loneliness  of  the  scene.  The  horses  were  unloaded 
by  the  time  I arrived,  and  several  courteous  Ainos 
showed  me  to  my  room,  opening  on  a small  courtyard 
with  a heavy  gate.  The  room  was  musty,  and,  being 
rarely  used,  swarmed  with  spiders.  A saucer  of  fish- 
oil  and  a wick  rendered  darkness  visible,  and  showed 
faintly  the  dark,  pathetic  faces  of  a row  of  Ainos  in 
the  verandah,  who  retired  noiselessly  mth  their  grace- 
ful salutation  when  I bade  them  good-night.  Food 
was  hardly  to  be  expected,  yet  they  gave  me  rice,  pota^ 
toes,  and  black  beans  boiled  in  equal  parts  of  brine  and 
s}'rup,  which  are  very  palatable.  The  cuts  and  bruises 
of  3^esterday  became  so  ver^"  painful  with  the  cold  of 
the  early  morning  that  I have  been  obliged  to  remain 
here.  I.  L.  B. 


A GROUP  OF  SAVAGES. 


THE  MISSING  LINK. 

A Group  of  Fathers  — The  Lebungd  Ainos  — The  Salisburia  adian  tv- 
folia  — A Family  Group  — The  Missing  Link  — Oshamambd  — A 
Horse  Fight  — The  River  Yurapu  — The  Seaside  — Sagacity  of 
Crows  — Outwitting  a Dog  — Aino  Canoes  — The  Volcano  of  Ko 
mono-taki  — The  last  Morning  — Dodging  Europeans. 

Hakodate,  September  12. 

Lebungb  is  a most  fascinating  place  in  its  awful 
isolation.  The  house-master  was  a friendly  man,  and 
much  attached  to  the  Ainos.  If  other  officials  entrusted 
with  Aino  concerns  treat  the  Ainos  as  fraternally  as 
those  of  Usu  and  Lebunge,  there  is  not  much  to  lament. 
This  man  also  gave  them  a high  character  for  honesty 
and  harmlessness,  and  asked  if  they  might  come  and  see 
me  before  I left;  so  twenty  men,  mostly  carrying  very 
pretty  children,  came  into  the  yard  with  the  horses. 
They  had  never  seen  a foreigner,  but  either  from  apathy 
or  politeness,  they  neither  stare  nor  press  upon  one  as 
the  Japanese  do,  and  always  make  a courteous  recogni- 
tion. The  bear-skin  housing  of  my  saddle  pleased  them 
very  much,  and  my  boots  of  unblacked  leather,  which 
they  compare  to  the  deer-hide  moccasins  which  they 
wear  for  winter  hunting.  Their  voices  were  the  lowest 
and  most  musical  that  I have  heard,  incongruous  sounds 
to  proceed  from  such  hairy,  powerful-looking  men. 
Their  love  for  their  children  was  most  marked.  They 
caressed  them  tenderly,  and  hf  Id  them  aloft  for  notice, 
and  when  the  house-master  told  them  how  much  I 


146 


UNBEATEN  TRACKS  IN  JAPAN. 


admired  the  brown,  dark-eyed,  winsome  creatuies,  theii 
faces  lighted  with  pleasure,  and  they  saluted  me  ovei 
and  over  again.  These,  like  other  Ainos,  utter  a short, 
screeching  sound  when  they  are  not  pleased,  and  then 
one  recognises  the  savage. 

These  Lebung^  Ainos  differ  considerably  from  those 
of  the  eastern  villages,  and  I have  again  to  notice  the 
decided  sound  or  click  of  the  ts  at  the  beginning  of 
many  words.  Their  skins  are  as  swarthy  as  those  of 
Bedaween,  their  foreheads  comparatively  low,  their  eyes 
far  more  deeply  set,  their  stature  lower,  their  hair  yet 
more  abundant,  the  look  of  wistfrd  melancholy  more 
marked,  and  two  who  were  unclothed  for  hard  work  in 
fasliioning  a canoe,  were  almost  entirely  covered  with 
short,  black  hair,  specially  thick  on  the  shoulders  and 
back,  and  so  completely  concealing  the  skin  as  to  recon- 
cile one  to  the  lack  of  clothing.  I noticed  an  enormous 
breadth  of  chest,  and  a great  development  of  the  mus- 
cles of  the  arms  and  legs.  All  these  Ainos  shave  their 
liah  off  for  two  inches  above  their  brows,  onty  allowing 
it  there  to  attain  the  length  of  an  inch.  Among  the 
well-clothed  Ainos  in  the  yard  there  was  one  smooth- 
faced, smooth-skinned,  concave-chested,  spindle-limbed, 
yellow  Japanese,  with  no  other  elothing  than  the  deco- 
rated bark-cloth  apron  wliich  the  Ainos  wear  in  addition 
to  their  coats  and  leggings.  Escorted  by  these  gentle, 
friendly  savages,  I visited  their  lodges,  which  are  very 
small  and  poor,  and  in  every  wa}^  inferior  to  those  of 
the  mountain  Ainos.  The  women  are  short  and  thick- 
set, and  most  uncomely. 

From  their  village  I started  for  the  longest,  and  by 
reputation,  the  worst  stage  of  my  journey,  seventeen 
miles,  tlie  first  ten  of  which  are  over  mountains.  Sc 
solitary  and  disused  is  tins  track,  that  on  a four  days’ 
journey  we  have  not  met  a human  being.  In  the  Le- 


4 BUGGED  BIDE. 


147 


bung^  valley,  which  is  densely  forested,  a ad  abounds 
with  fordable  streams  and  treacherous  ground,  I came 
upon  a grand  specimen  of  the  Salisburia  adiantifolia^ 
which,  at  a height  of  three  feet  from  the  ground, 
divides  into  eight  lofty  stems,  none  of  them  less  than  2 
feet  5 inches  in  diameter.  This  tree,  which  grows 
rapidly,  is  so  well  adapted  to  our  climate,  that  I won- 
der it  has  not  been  introduced  on  a large  scale,  as  it 
may  be  seen  by  every  body  in  Kew  Gardens.  There 
is  another  tree  with  orbicular  leaves  in  pairs,  which 
grows  to  an  immense  size. 

From  this  valley  a worn-out,  stony  bridle- track  ascends 
the  western  side  of  Lebungetogd,  climbing  through  a 
dense  forest  of  trees  and  trailers  to  a height  of  about 
2000  feet,  where,  contented  with  its  efforts,  it  reposes, 
and,  with  only  slight  ups  and  downs,  continues  along 
the  top  of  a narrow  ridge  within  the  seaward  moun- 
tains, between  high  walls  of  dense  bamboo,  which,  for 
much  of  that  day’s  journey,  is  the  undergrowth  alike 
of  mountain  and  valley,  ragged  peak,  and  rugged  ra- 
vine. The  scenery  was  as  magnificent  as  on  the  previ- 
ous day.  A guide  was  absolutely  needed,  as  the  track 
ceased  altogether  in  one  place,  and  for  some  time  the 
horses  had  to  blunder  their  way  along  a bright,  rushing 
river,  swirling  rapidly  downwards,  heavily  bordered 
with  bamboo,  full  of  deep  holes,  and  made  difficult  by 
trees  which  have  fallen  across  it.  There  Ito,  whose 
horse  could  not  keep  up  with  the  others,  was  lost,  or 
rather  lost  himself,  which  led  to  a delay  of  two  hours. 
I have  never  seen  grander  forest  than  on  that  two  day’s 
ride. 

At  last  the  track,  barely  passable  after  its  recovery, 
dips  over  a precipitous  bluff,  and  descends  close  to  the 
sea,  which  has  evidently  receded  considerably.  Thence 
it  runs  for  six  miles  on  a level,  sandy  strip,  covered 


148 


UNBEATEN  TRACKS  IN  JAPAN. 


near  the  sea  with  a dwarf  bamboo  about  five  inches 
high,  and  farther  inland  with  red  roses  and  blue  campa- 
nula. 

At  the  foot  of  the  bluJS:'  there  is  a ruinous  Japanese 
house,  where  an  Aino  family  has  been  placed  to  give 
shelter  and  rest  to  any  who  may  be  crossing  the  pass. 
I opened  my  lento  haho  of  red  lacquer,  and  found  that 
it  contained  some  cold,  waxy  potatoes,  on  which  I 
dined,  with  the  addition  of  some  tea,  and  then  waited 
wearily  for  Ito,  for  whom  the  guide  went  in  search. 
The  house  and  its  inmates  were  a study.  The  ceiling 
was  gone,  and  all  kinds  of  things,  for  which  1 could  not 
imagine  any  possible  use,  hung  from  the  blackened 
rafters.  Everything  was  broken  and  decayed,  and  the 
dirt  was  appalling.  A very  ugly  Aino  woman,  aardl}- 
human  in  her  ugliness,  was  splitting  bark  fibre.  There 
were  several  ^Vor^,  Japanese  fashion,  and  at  one  of  them 
a grand-looking  old  man  was  seated  apathetically  con- 
templating the  boiling  of  a pot.  Old,  and  sitting 
among  ruins,  he  represented  the  fate  of  a race  which, 
living,  has  no  history,  and  perishing,  leaves  no  monu- 
ment. By  the  other  irori  sat,  or  rather  crouched,  the 
“ Missing  Link.”  I was  startled  when  I first  saw  it. 
It  was,  shall  I saj^  ? a man,  and  the  mate,  I cannot  write 
the  husband,  of  the  ugly  woman.  It  was  about  fifty. 
The  lofty  Aino  brow  had  been  made  still  loftier  by 
shaving  the  head  for  three  inches  above  it.  The  hair 
hung,  not  in  shocks,  but  in  snaky  wisps,  mingling  with 
a beard  which  was  grey  and  matted.  The  eyes  were 
dark  but  vacant,  and  the  face  had  no  other  expression 
than  that  look  of  apathetic  melancholy  which  one 
sometimes  sees  on  the  faces  of  captive  beasts.  The 
arms  and  legs  were  unnaturall}^  long  and  thin,  and  the 
creature  sat  with  the  knees  tucked  into  the  armpits. 
The  limbs  and  body,  wdth  the  exception  of  a patch  on 


A BISORBEBLY  BBOVE. 


149 


each  side,  were  thinly  eovered  with  fine  black  hair, 
more  than  an  inch  long,  which  was  slightly  curly  on 
the  shoulders.  It  showed  no  other  sign  of  intelligence 
than  that  evidenced  by  boiling  water  for  my  tea. 
When  Ito  arrived  he  looked  at  it  with  disgust,  exclaim- 
ing, “ The  Ainos  are  just  dogs ; they  had  a dog  for 
their  father,”  in  allusion  to  their  own  legend  of  their 
origin. 

The  level  was  pleasant  after  the  mountains,  and  a 
canter  took  us  pleasantly  to  Oshamambe,  where  we 
struck  the  old  road  from  Mori  to  Satsuporo,  and  where 
I halted  for  a day  to  rest  my  spine,  from  which  I was 
suffering  much.  Oshamambe  looks  dismal  even  in  the 
sunshine,  decayed  and  dissipated,  with  many  people 
lounging  about  in  it  doing  nothing,  with  the  dazed  look 
which  over-indulgence  in  saki  gives  to  the  eyes.  The 
sun  was  scorching  hot,  and  I was  glad  to  find  refuge 
from  it  in  a crowded  and  dilapidated  yadoya,  where 
there  were  no  black  beans,  and  the  use  of  eggs  did  not 
appear  to  be  recognised.  My  room  was  only  enclosed 
by  shdji,  and  there  were  scarcely  five  minutes  of  the 
day  in  which  eyes  were  not  applied  to  the  finger-holes 
with  which  they  were  liberally  riddled ; and  during  the 
night  one  of  them  fell  down,  revealing  six  Japanese 
sleeping  in  a row,  each  head  on  a wooden  pillow. 

The  grandeur  of  the  route  ceased  with  the  mountain 
passes,  but  in  the  brilliant  sunshine  the  ride  from 
Oshamambe  to  Mori,  which  took  me  two  days,  was  as 
pretty  and  pleasant  as  it  could  be.  At  first  we  got  on 
very  slowly,  as  besides  my  four  horses  there  were  four 
led  ones  going  home,  which  got  up  fights  and  entangled 
their  ropes,  ana  occasionally  lay  down  and  rolled ; and 
besides  these  there  were  three  foals  follovmig  their 
mothers,  and  if  they  stayed  behind,  the  mares  hung 
back  neighing,  and  if  they  frolicked  ahead,  the  mares 


150 


UNBEATEN  TRACKS  IN  JAPAN. 


wanted  to  look  after  them,  aud  the  whole  string  showed 
a combined  inclmation  to  dispense  with  their  riders 
and  join  the  many  herds  of  horses  which  we  passed.  It 
was  so  tedious  that,  after  enduring  it  for  some  time,  I 
got  Ito’s  horse  and  mine  into  a scow  at  a river  of  some 
size,  and  left  the  disorderly  drove  to  follow  at  leisure. 

At  Yurapu,  where  there  is  an  Aino  village  of  thirty 
houses,  we  saw  the  last  of  the  aborigines,  and  the  inter- 
est of  the  journey  ended.  Strips  of  hard  sand  below 
high-water  mark,  strips  of  red  roses,  ranges  of  wooded 
mountains,  rivers  deep  and  shallow,  a few  villages  of 
old  grey  houses  amidst  grey  sand  and  bleaching  drift- 
wood, and  then  came  the  river  Yurapu,  a broad,  deep 
stream,  navigable  in  a canoe  for  fourteen  miles.  The 
scenery  there  was  truly  beautiful  in  the  late  and 
splendid  afternoon.  The  long  blue  waves  roUed  on 
shore,  each  one  crested  with  light  as  it  curled  before  it 
broke,  and  huided  its  snowy  drift  for  miles  along  the 
coast  witii  a deep  booming  music.  The  glorious  inland 
view  was  composed  of  six  ranges  of  forest-covered 
mountains,  broken,  chasmed,  caverned,  and  dark  with 
timber,  and  above  them  bald,  grey  peaks  rose  against  a 
green  sky  of  singular  purity.  I longed  to  take  a boat 
up  the  Yurapu,  which  penetrates  by  many  a gorge  into 
their  solemn  recesses,  but  had  not  strength  to  carry  out 
my  wish. 

After  this  I exchanged  the  silence  or  low  musical 
speech  of  Aino  guides  for  the  harsh  and  ceaseless 
clatter  of  Japanese.  At  Yamakushmoi,  a small  hamlet 
on  tlie  seashore,  where  1 slept,  there  was  a sweet,  quiet 
yadoya,  delightfully  situated,  with  a wooded  cliff  at  the 
back,  over  which  a crescent  hung  out  of  a pure  sky; 
and  besides,  there  were  the  more  solid  pleasures  of  fish, 
eggs,  and  black  beans.  Thus,  instead  of  being  starved 
and  finding  wretched  accommodation,  the  week  I spent 


THE  CROWS. 


151 


on  Volcano  Bay  has  been  the  best  fed,  as  it  was  cer- 
tainly the  most  comfortable,  week  of  my  travels  in 
Northern  Japan. 

Another  glorious  day  favoured  my  ride  to  Mori,  but 
[ was  unfortunate  in  my  horse  at  each  stage,  and  the 
Japanese  guide  was  grumpy  and  ill-natured,  a most 
unusual  thing.  Otoshibd  and  a few  other  small  villages 
of  grey  houses,  with  “an  ancient  and  fish-like  smell,” 
lie  along  the  coast,  busy  enough  doubtless  in  the 
season,  but  now  looking  deserted  and  decayed,  and 
houses  are  rather  plentifully  sprinkled  along  many 
parts  of  the  shore,  with  a wonderful  profusion  of  vege- 
tables and  flowers  about  them,  raised  from  seeds  liber- 
ally supplied  by  the  Jfaitakicshi  Department  from  its 
Nanai  experimental  farm  and  nurseries.  For  a consid- 
erable part  of  the  way  to  Mori  there  is  no  track  at  all, 
though  there  is  a good  deal  of  travel.  One  makes 
one’s  way  fatiguingly  along  soft  sea  sand  or  coarse 
shingle  close  to  the  sea,  or  absolutely  in  it,  under  cliffs 
of  hardened  clay  or  yellow  conglomerate,  fording  many 
small  streams,  several  of  which  have  cut  their  way 
deeply  tlirough  a stratum  of  black  volcanic  sand.  I 
have  crossed  about  100  rivers  and  streams  on  the  Yezo 
coast,  and  all  the  larger  ones  are  marked  by  a most 
noticeable  peculiarity,  i.e.  that  on  nearing  the  sea,  they 
turn  south,  and  run  for  some  distance  parallel  with  it, 
before  they  succeed  in  finding  an  exit  tlirough  the  bank 
of  sand  and  shingle  which  forms  the  beach  and  blocks 
their  progress. 

I have  not  said  anything  about  the  crows,  which  are 
a feature  of  Yezo,  and  one  which  the  colonists  would 
willingly  dispense  with.  There  are  millions  of  them, 
and  in  many  places  they  break  the  silence  of  the  silent 
land  with  a Babel  of  noisy  discords.  They  are  every- 
where, and  have  attained  a degree  of  most  unpardona- 


152 


UNBEATEN  TRACKS  IN  JAPAJS. 


ble  impertinence,  mingled  with  a cunning  and  sagacity' 
which  almost  put  them  on  a level  with  man  in  some  cir- 
cumstances. Five  of  them  were  so  impudent  as  to 
alight  on  two  of  my  horses,  and  so  be  ferried  across  the 
Yurapugawa.  In  the  inn-garden  at  Mori  I saw  a dog 
eating  a piece  of  carrion  in  the  presence  of  several  of 
these  covetous  birds.  They  evidently  said  a great  deal 
to  each  other  on  the  subject,  and  now  and  then  one  or 
two  of  them  tried  to  pull  the  meat  away  from  him, 
which  he  resented.  At  last  a big,  strong  crow  suc- 
ceeded in  tearing  off  a piece,  with  which  he  returned 
to  the  pine  where  the  others  were  congregated,  and 
after  much  earnest  speech  they  all  surrounded  the  dog, 
and  the  leading  bird  dexterously  dropped  the  small 
piece  of  meat  within  reach  of  his  mouth,  when  he  im- 
mediately snapped  at  it,  letting  go  the  big  piece  un- 
wisely for  a second,  on  which  two  of  the  crows  flew 
away  with  it  to  the  pine,  and  with  much  fluttering  and 
hilarity  they  all  ate  or  rather  gorged  it,  the  deceived 
dog  looking  vacant  and  bewildered  for  a moment,  after 
which  he  sat  under  the  tree  and  barked  at  them  inanely. 
A gentleman  told  me  that  he  saw  a dog  holding  a piece 
of  meat  in  like  manner  in  the  presence  of  three  crows, 
which  also  vainly  tried  to  tear  it  from  him,  and  after  a 
consultation  they  separated,  two  going  as  near  as  they 
dared  to  the  meat,  while  the  third  gave  the  tail  a bite 
sharp  enough  to  make  the  dog  turn  round  with  a squeak, 
on  w'liich  the  other  vfllains  seized  the  meat,  and  the 
thiee  fed  triumphantly  upon  it  on  the  top  of  a wall.  In 
many  places  they  are  so  aggressive  as  to  destroy  the 
crops  vmless  they  are  protected  by  netting.  The}'  as- 
semble on  the  sore  backs  uf  horses  and  pick  them  uito 
holes,  and  are  mischievous  in  many  ways.  They  are 
very  late  in  going  to  roost  and  are  early  astir  in  the 
morning,  and  are  so  bold  that  they  often  came  “ with 


NOISY  SELF-ASSERTION. 


163 


many  a stately  flirt  and  flutter  ” into  the  verandah 
vyhere  I was  sitting.  I never  watched  an  assemblage 
of  them  for  any  length  of  time  without  being  convinced 
that  there  was  a Nestor  among  them  to  lead  their  move- 
ments. Along  the  sea-shore  they  are  very  amusing,  for 
they  “ take  the  air  ” in  the  evening  seated  on  sand- 
banks facing  the  wind,  with  their  mouths  open.  They 
are  threatening  to  devour  the  settlers,  and  a crusade  is 
just  now  being  waged  against  them,  but  they  are 
Legion. 

On  the  way  I saw  two  Ainos  land  through  the  surf 
in  a canoe,  in  which  they  had  paddled  for  nearly  100 
miles.  A river  canoe  is  dug  out  of  a single  log,  and 
two  men  can  fashion  one  in  five  days,  but  on  examining 
this  one,  which  was  twenty-five  feet  long,  I found  that 
it  consisted  of  two  halves,  laced  together  with  very 
strong  bark  fibre  for  their  whole  length,  and  with  high 
sides  also  laced  on.  They  consider  that  they  are 
stronger  for  rough  sea  and  surf  work  when  made  in 
two  parts.  Their  bark-fibre  rope  is  beautifully  made, 
and  they  twist  it  of  all  sizes,  from  twine  up  to  a nine- 
inch  hawser. 

Beautiful  as  the  blue  ocean  was,  I had  too  much  of 
it,  for  the  horses  were  either  walking  in  a lather  of  sea 
foam  or  were  crowded  between  the  cliff  and  the  sea, 
every  larger  wave  breaking  over  my  foot  and  irrever- 
ently splashing  my  face,  and  the  surges  were  so  loud 
tongued  and  incessant,  throwing  themselves  on  the 
beach  with  a tremendous  boom,  and  drawing  the  shin- 
gle back  with  them  with  an  equally  tremendous  rattle, 
so  impolite  and  noisy,  bent  only  on  showing  theii 
strength,  reckless,  rude,  self-willed,  and  inconsiderate ! 
This  purposeless  display  of  force,  and  this  incessant 
waste  of  power,  and  the  noisy  self-assertion  in  both,  ap- 
proached vulgarity ! 


154 


UNBEATEN  TRACKS  IN  JAPAN. 


Towards  evening  we  crossed  the  last  of  the  bridgeless 
rivers,  and  put  up  at  Mori,  which  I left  three  weeks 
before,  and  I was  very  thaukful  to  have  accomplished 
my  object  without  disappointment,  disaster,  or  any  con- 
siderable discomfort.  Had  I not  promised  to  return  Ito 
to  his  master  by  a given  day,  I should  like  to  spend  the 
next  six  weeks  in  the  Yezo  wUds,  for  the  climate  is 
good,  the  scenery  beautiful,  and  the  objects  of  interest 
are  many. 

The  peaks  of  the  volcano  of  Komono-taki  were  blazing 
in  the  setting  sun,  and  with  a glass  I was  able  then,  and 
from  a point  above  the  lakes,  to  trace  its  configuration 
pretty  easily.  It  may  still  prove  mischievous,  and  in  its 
last  recent  eruption  it  covered  the  ground  in  its  neigh- 
bourhood with  pumice  to  a depth  of  three  feet.  The 
lava  ejected  by  it  and  the  other  volcanoes  of  this  coast 
appears  to  differ  considerably  from  that  of  the  flows 
from  the  flank  and  summit  craters  of  iMauna  Loa  on 
Hawaii,  as  it  is  light  and  porous,  consisting  almost 
entirely  of  pumice,  wliich  on  Hawaii  appears  rarely,  and 
then  only  as  the  froth  on  streams,  winch  solidify  into 
dense  basalt,  either  jagged  or  smooth.  The  highest 
peak  is  estimated  at  a height  of  3300  feet,  but  the  great 
crater,  which  is  about  three-quarters  of  a mile  in  diam- 
eter, lies  500  feet  lower,  and  contains  six  smaller  craters, 
one  of  which  was  active  in  1872.  One  of  these  is 
about  100  feet  deep.  Steam  escapes  from  many  aper- 
tures in  their  sides.  The  slopes  of  the  volcano  have  a 
scathed  and  dreary  look,  from  the  remains  of  a forest 
charred  in  the  last  great  eruption,  and  the  immediate 
neighbourhood  cannot  be  profitabl}-  tilled  till  a greater 
depth  of  soil  has  accumulated  over  the  last  layer  of 
pumice.  In  the  meantime  nature  is  doing  her  best  to 
provide  it  by  covering  the  ground  with  young  woods. 

Another  .splendid  day  favoured  my  ride  from  IMoi  i tc 


END  OF  TEE  YEZO  TOUE. 


155 


Togduoshita,  where  I remained  for  the  night,  and  I had 
exceptionally  good  liorses  for  both  days,  thougli  the  one 
which  Ito  rode,  while  going  at  a rapid  “scramble,” 
threw  himself  down  three  times  and  rolled  over  to  rid 
himself  from  flies.  I had  not  admired  the  wood  between 
Mori  and  Ginsainoma  (the  lakes)  on  the  sullen,  grey 
day  on  which  I saw  it  before,  but  tliis  time  there  was 
an  abundance  of  light  and  shadow  and  solar  glitter,  and 
many  a scarlet  spray  and  crimson  trailer,  and  many  a 
maple  flaming  in  the  valleys,  gladdened  me  with  the 
music  of  colour.  From  the  top  of  the  pass  beyond  the 
lakes  there  is  a grand  view  of  the  volcano  in  all  its 
nakedness,  with  its  lava  beds  and  fields  of  pumice,  with 
the  lakes  of  Onuma,  Konuma,  and  Ginsainoma,  lying  in 
the  forests  at  its  feet,  and  from  the  top  of  another  hill 
there  is  a remarkable  view  of  windy  Hakodate,  with  its 
headland  lookiiig  like  Gibraltar.  The  slopes  of  this 
hill  are  covered  with  the  Aconitum  Japonicum,  of  which 
the  Ainos  make  their  arrow  poison. 

The  yadoya  at  Togenoshita  was  a verj^  pleasant  and 
friendly  one,  and  when  Ito  woke  me  yesterday  morning, 
saying,  “ Are  you  sorry  that  it’s  the  last  morning?  I 
am,”  I felt  we  had  one  subject  in  common,  for  I was 
very  sorry  to  end  my  pleasant  Yezo  tour,  and  very  sorry 
to  part  with  the  boy  who  had  made  himself  more  use- 
ful and  invaluable  even  than  before.  It  was  most 
wearisome  to  have  Hakodate  in  sight  for  twelve  miles, 
so  near  across  the  bay,  so  far  across  the  long,  flat,  stony 
strip  which  connects  the  headland  upon  which  it  is 
built  with  the  mainland.  For  about  tlmee  miles  the 
road  is  rudely  macadamised,  and  as  soon  as  the  bare- 
footed horses  get  upon  it  they  seem  lame  of  all  their 
legs ; they  hang  back,  stumbling,  dragging,  edging  to 
the  side,  and  trying  to  run  down  every  opening,  so  that 
when -we  got  into  the  interminable  main  street  I sent 


156 


UNBEATEN  TRACKS  IN  JAPAN. 


Ito  on  to  the  Consulate  for  my  letters,  and  dismounted, 
hoping  that  as  it  was  raining  I should  not  see  am 
foreigners ; but  I was  not  so  lucky,  for  first  I met  Mr 
Dening,  and  then,  seeing  tlie  Consul  and  Dr.  Hepburn 
coming  down  the  road,  evidently  dressed  for  dining  in 
the  flag-ship,  and  looking  spruce  and  clean,  I dodged  up 
an  alley  to  avoid  them ; but  they  saw  me,  and  did  not 
wonder  that  I wished  to  escape  notice,  for  my  old  hetto\ 
hat,  my  torn  green  paper  waterproof,  and  my  riding 
skii't  and  boots,  were  not  only  splashed  but  caked  Avith 
mud,  and  I had  the  general  look  of  a person  “ fresh  from 
the  wiJds.”  I.  L.  B. 


ITINERARY. 


ITINERARY  OF 

TOUR  IN 

YEZO. 

Hkkodatd  to 

No.  of  hODBCg. 
Jap.  Alno. 

Ri. 

Oh6 

Ginsainoma  . 

4 

7 

18 

Mori  . . . 

. 105 

4 

Mororan  . 

. 57 

11 

Horobets 

. 18  47 

5 

1 

Shiraoi  . . 

. 11  51 

6 

32 

Tomakomai  . 

. 38 

5 

21 

Yubets  . . 

7 3 

3 

5 

Sarufuto  . 

. 63 

7 

5 

Biratori  . . 

53 

5 

Mombets 

. 27 

5 

1 

fYom  Horobets  to 

Jap.  Alno. 

Ri. 

Chd. 

Old  Mororan 

9 30 

4 

28 

Usu  . . . 

3 99 

6 

2 

Lebungd  . . 

1 27 

5 

22 

Oshamambe 

. 56  38 

6 

34 

Yamakushinai 

. 40 

4 

18 

Otoshibd  . . 

. 40 

2 

3 

Mori  . . . 

. 105 

3 

29 

Togenoshita  . 

. 55 

6 

7 

Hakodate 

37,000  souls 

3 

29 

About  358  English  miles. 


158 


UNBEATEN  TRACKS  IN  JAPAN. 


JAPANESE  PROGRESS. 

A Dubious  Climate  — Missionary  Ardour  — A Political  Move  — Aa 
Opinion  on  the  Government  — “Squeezes”  — Lack  of  Persever- 
ance— A Japanese  Ironclad  — Realities  of  Progress. 

Hakodate,  Yezo. 

The  weather  has  been  abominable  since  I returned, 
with  the  mercury  hanging  about  80°,  the  mosquitoes 
rampant,  the  air  so  damp  that  mildew  has  to  be  removed 
from  leather  every  few  hours,  and  a hot,  depressing 
wind  with  a hot,  drizzling  rain.  If  I complain  of  the 
lifelessness  of  the  climate  of  Japan,  and  its  lack  of  morn- 
ing and  evening  freshness,  people  always  say,  “ Wait 
till  October,”  and  I am  beginning  to  think  that  Octobei 
and  November  are  the  only  pleasant  months,  for  the 
cold  of  winter  is  spoken  of  as  “ raw  and  penetrating.” 

The  steamy  atmosphere  does  not  affect  IMr.  Dening’s 
missionary  zeal,  which  is  perfectl}'  indefatigable.  Be- 
sides tire  two  Sunday  preachings  and  two  weeldy 
preaclfings  at  Ono  and  Arikawa,  and  two  weekly  preach- 
ings and  three  Bible  classes  in  Hakodatd  in  addition,  he 
is  going  to  open  a new  station  at  Nanai,  where  there 
are  manj'  samurai,  and  it  is  from  among  these,  and  not 
from  among  the  common  people  — in  whom  the  religious 
instinct  and  the  spirit  of  religious  inquiry  seem  quite 
dead,  — that  converts  have  been  made.  The  foundation- 
stone  of  an  English  Episcopal  Church  lias  been  laid 
since  I returned,  by  INIr.  Eusden,  lI.B.lM.'s  Consul,  in 
tlie  presence  of  the  eight  Japanese  converts,  whose 


A POLITICAL  MOVE. 


159 


Dames  were  placed  in  a cavity  in  the  stone,  and  a fe’n 
others,  with  a considerable  crowd  of  native  onlookers 
It  shows  the  toleration  granted  to  Christianity  that  this 
small  body  of  Christians  should  have  been  able  to  pur- 
chase a site  on  the  main  street  on  which  to  erect  a con- 
spicuous religious  edifice. 

Some  important  public  events  have  occurred  lately. 
A portion  of  the  Imperial  Guard  has  mutinied  in 
T6kiy6  (not  from  political  motives,  however),  much 
blood  has  been  shed,  and  the  Prime  Minister  has  issued 
a proclamation  warning  people  “not  to  be  excited.” 
Almost  coincidently  with  this  event  Japan  has  taken 
the  first  step  in  the  direction  of  constitutional  Govern- 
ment by  the  issuing  of  a proclamation  by  the  Mikado 
empowering  the  election  of  Provincial  Assemblies  in 
March  of  next  year,  which  are  to  have  control  of  the 
local  taxation.  The  qualification  for  electors  is  fixed 
so  very  low  that  suffrage  will  be  almost  universal,  and 
voting  is  to  be  by  ballot  I Although  it  is  a small  and 
somewhat  hampered  concession  to  the  principle  of  popu- 
lar government,  it  is  an  important  step  for  an  Asiatic 
despotism  to  take  under  present  circumstances.  It  is 
placing  a degree  of  power  in  the  hands  of  millions  of 
ignorant  peasants,  who,  until  lately,  were  practically 
serfs,  and  it  seems  to  me  not  only  a sign  of  the  fidelity 
of  the  Government  to  its  promises,  but  of  its  confidence 
in  the  general  approval  of  the  existmg  order  of  things. 
I think  none  the  worse  of  the  Government  for  delaying 
this  step,  and  for  taking  it  now  with  extreme  caution. 

There  is  a great  deal  of  indiscriminate  and  unwise 
laudation  of  everything  Japanese,  and  much  harm  has 
been  done  by  it ; but,  on  the  other  hand,  the  carping 
and  sneering  with  which  every  fresh  Japanese  move- 
ment is  received  in  other  quarters  is  very  imbecoming, 
and  very  lacerating  to  the  feelings  of  a people  unduly 


160 


UNBEATEN  TRACKS  IN  JAPAN. 


sensitive  to  foreign  criticism.  I scarcely  ventui-e  to 
give  an  opinion,  but  it  is  impossible  to  avoid  forming 
one  gradually,  and  I am  more  and  more  inclined  to  think 
that  Iwakura,  Sandy oshi,  Terashima,  and  others  who 
have  guided  affairs  since  the  Restoration,  are  both  able 
and  patriotic ; that  they  have  shown,  and  are  showing, 
most  extraordinary  capacity  in  the  conduct  of  affairs, 
hampered  as  they  are  by  the  not  always  harmonious 
demands  of  foreign  Governments  ; that  though  they 
are  ambitious  they  are  also  honest  men,  and  that  their 
actions  and  policy  prove  them  to  be  actuated  by  an 
intense  desire  to  promote  the  national  well-being  and 
greatness,  and  not  their  individual  aggrandisement. 

Of  course  among  so  many  changes,  many  of  them  of 
a fundamental  nature,  we  must  expect  some  bungling 
to  occur,  and  it  has  occurred,  and  some  expensive  ex- 
periments have  turned  out  abortive.  Some  of  the  inno- 
vations, too,  are  httle  better  than  patchwork,  and  some 
strike  one  as  totally  incongruous.  Supposing  the  heads 
of  the  Government  to  be  honest  men,  we  must  not  over- 
look the  fact  that  they  have  to  work  through  a large 
army  of  officials,  and  that  Asiatic  officialdom,  though  it 
has  never  touched  such  depths  of  corruption  in  Japan 
as  in  China  and  some  other  countries,  is  essentially 
untrustworthy  where  money  is  concerned,  and  that  the 
idea  of  being  content  with  a salary  is  a new  one  to  the 
official  mind.  Here,  in  Yezo,  enormous  sums  have  been 
undoubtedly  squandered,  and  only  a limited  part  of  the 
liberal  appropriations  for  the  Kaitakuslii  Department 
has  reached  the  objects  for  which  it  was  intended,  in 
consequence  of  the  repeated  “squeezes,”  and  the  same 
thing  may  be  stated  in  greater  or  less  degree  concerning 
most  grants  for  public  works. 

But  taking  Yezo  as  an  example  of  what  has  been 
done  by  the  present  Government,  we  find  complete 


AN  OPINION  ON  THE  GOVERNMENT. 


161 


security  for  life  and  property  — the  chief  desideratum 
of  any  government,  aborigines  enjoying  nearly  equal 
rights  with  their  conquerors,  rapid  detection  of  crime, 
prisons  and  hospitals  on  the  most  enlightened  systems, 
liberal  provision  made  for  education  and  medical  aid  in 
remote  districts,  complete  religious  toleration,  taxation 
on  equitable  principles,  an  agricultural  college,  and 
model  farms,  a Custom-House  and  Post-Office  admir- 
ably managed,  trade  unhampered  by  vexatious  restric- 
tions, and  improvements  in  active  operation  in  many 
parts  of  the  island. 

On  the  other  hand,  some  of  the  weak  points  of  Japan- 
ese administration  are  epitomised  here.  Public  money 
is  eaten  up  by  an  army  of  underpaid  officials,  who  are 
to  be  seen  idling  and  “ kicking  their  heels  ” in  all  the 
public  offices,  four  or  five  of  them  doing  the  work  which 
would  be  accomplished  by  a single  Englishman.  This 
arises  partly  from  the  number  of  over-educated  jmung 
men,  trained  in  Japan  or  elsewhere  at  Government 
expense,  for  whom  Government  employment  must  be 
found,  and  partlj"  from  the  fact  that  when  a Japanese 
receives  anything  but  a most  subordinate  position,  he 
creates  as  many  “ situations  ” as  possible  for  his  friends. 
Though  crime  is  readUy  detected,  the  administration  of 
justice  is  very  unsatisfactory,  specially  in  civil  cases. 
Much  money  has  been  literally  sunk  in  expensive  ex- 
periments, and  vast  resources,  such  as  the  coal-fields, 
remain  undeveloped,  from  a jealousy  of  the  introduc- 
tion of  foreign  capital.  A necessity  for  Yezo  is  good 
roads,  yet  the  main  road  from  Hakodate  to  Satsuporo, 
on  which  thousands  of  yen  are  constantly  spent,  is  in 
such  a condition  from  the  use  of  bad  materials,  and 
from  broken  bridges  and  choked,  ill-constructed  drains, 
that  a wheeled  conveyance  can  scarcely  pass  over  its 
whole  length.  Schemes  are  started  on  a grand  scale, 


162 


UNBEATEN  TRACKS  IN  JAPAN. 


and,  after  much  public  money  has  been  spent  upon 
them,  they  are  either  abandoned,  after  some  progress 
has  been  made,  without  any  apparent  reason,  or  because 
it  is  found  that  some  insuperable  obstacle  to  their  suc- 
cess has  been  overlooked,  or  the  attention  of  the  offi- 
cials lapses  and  grows  languid,  and  deterioration  sets 
in. 

I observed  many  instances  of  this  last  failing  at  the 
experimental  farm  at  Nanai.  The  managers  imported 
at  a cost  of  1000  yen  a fine  Arabian  horse,  a really 
beautiful  creature,  of  which  they  were  very  proud  so 
long  as  he  was  a novelty,  but  he  is  now  sufi'ering  from 
most  discreditable  neglect.  His  fetlock  is  badl}-  cut 
from  careless  hobbling,  and  from  lack  of  grooming  his 
beautiful  skin  is  covered  with  hundreds  of  ticks.  Sev- 
eral other  things  are  suffering  similarly  from  lack  of 
persevering  supervision,  and  that  on  an  establishment 
overloaded  with  officials.  Piers  which  would  be  of 
great  value  are  carried  out  as  at  Mori,  350  feet  into  the 
sea,  where  they  are  perfectly  useless,  and  are  then 
allowed  to  decay,  and  small  enterprises,  which  would 
cost  little,  but  would  confer  immense  benefit  on  the 
island,  are  ignored  in  favour  of  costly  projects  which 
make  a show,  but  are  comparatively  irseless. 

One  of  the  expensive  projects  of  the  Empire  is  before 
me  now  in  the  form  of  a very  fine  ironclad,  with  a crew 
in  European  uniform,  and  drilled  in  European  fashion, 
rnd  a band  pla3’ing  European  music  on  European  in- 
struments. The  Hakodate  Japanese  are  wild  with 
pride  about  this  costly'  production,  and  disparage  the 
British  war-vessel  Audacious.,  and  the  Eussian  corvette,^ 

1 Tlie  captain  of  this  corvette,  after  criticising  the  Japanese  naval 
drill  as  compared  with  the  British,  of  which  it  is  an  imitation,  remarked 
abruptly  to  me,  “ Your  Prime  Minister  is  a great  man.  Berlin  has 
shown  him  a great  diplomatist.  He  has  given  England  more  than  the 
pmstiyc  of  twenty  vctories.” 


REALITIES  OF  PROGRESS. 


163 


also  at  anchor  in  the  bay.  Ito  walks  an  inch  higher, 
and  tells  me  that  “everybody  sa5^s  ” that  in  action 
the  English  and  Russian  vessels  together  would  not 
have  “a  chance  against  the  Japanese  ironclad  ! ” They 
are  pleased  with  this  because  it  makes  a show,  and 
apparently  places  Japan  on  a level  with  the  European 
powers,  and  care  little  that  the  high  road  between  the- 
two  capitals  is  now  in  such  a state  that  a person  cannot 
travel  in  a kuruma  over  it,  even  for  the  first  eighteen 
miles.  Such  incongruities,  and  many  others,  are  very 
unfortunate,  but  in  spite  of  all  that  is  open  to  adverse 
criticism,  there  is  no  denying  that  the  Empire  has  made 
almost  miraculous  progress  within  ten  years,  and  that, 
though  it  has  much  to  learn  by  failures,  it  is  still  mak- 
ing progress  steadily  according  to  the  latest  and  best 
ideas  of  modern  civilisation,  under  the  men  who  have 
abolished  class  distinctions,  and  have  raised  the  eta  to 
citizenship,  and  are  creating  a nation  of  freeholders  out 
nf  a nation  of  serfs.  I.  L.  B. 


164 


UNBEATEN  TRACKS  IN  JAPAN. 


COMPLIMENTS. 

Pleasant  Last  Impressions  — The  Japanese  Junk  — Ito  Disappears  — 
My  Letter  of  Thanks  — OflBcial  Letters  — A Servant’s  Epistle  — 
Japanese  Epistolary  Style. 

Hakodate,  Yezo,  September  14,  1878. 

This  is  my  last  day  in  Yezo,  and  the  sun,  shining 
brightly  over  the  grey  and  windy  capital,  is  touching 
the  pink  peaks  of  Komono-taki  with  a deeper  red,  and 
is  brightening  my  last  impressions,  which,  like  my  first, 
are  very  pleasant.  The  bay  is  deep  blue,  flecked  with 
violet  shadows,  and  about  sixty  junks  are  floating  upon 
it  at  anchor.  There  are  vessels  of  foreign  rig  too,  but 
the  wan,  pale  junks  lying  motionless,  or  rolling  into 
the  harbour  under  their  great  white  sails,  fascinate  me 
as  when  I first  saw  them  in  the  Gulf  of  Yedo.  They 
are  antique-looking  and  picturesque,  but  are  fitter  to 
give  interest  to  a picture  than  to  battle  with  stormy 
seas. 

Most  of  the  junks  in  the  bay  are  about  120  tons 
burthen,  100  feet  long,  with  an  extreme  beam,  far  aft, 
of  twenty-five  feet.  The  bow  is  long,  and  curves  into 
a lofty  stem,  like  that  of  a Roman  galley,  finished  with 
a beak  head,  to  secure  the  forestay  of  the  mast.  This 
Ijeak  is  furnished  ^vith  two  large,  goggle  eyes.  The 
mast  is  a ponderous  spar,  fift}’  feet  high,  composed  of 
pieces  of  pine,  pegged,  glued,  and  hooped  together.  A 
heavy  yard  is  hung  amidships.  The  sail  is  an  oblong 
of  widths  of  strong,  white  cotton  artistically  '•'■puch 


rro  DISAPPEARS. 


1C5 


ered”  not  sewn  together,  but  laced  vertically,  leaving 
a decorative  lacing  six  inches  wide  between  each  two 
widths.  Instead  of  reefing  in  a strong  wind,  a width 
is  unlaced,  so  as  to  reduce  the  canvas  vertically,  not 
horizontally.  Two  blue  spheres  commonly  adorn  the 
sail.  The  mast  is  placed  well  abaft,  and  to  tack  or 
veer  it  is  only  necessary  to  reverse  the  sheet.  When 
on  a wind  the  long  bow  and  nose  serve  as  a head-sail 
The  high,  square,  pHed-up  stern,  with  its  antique  carv- 
ing, and  the  sides  with  their  lattice-work,  are  wonder- 
ful, together  with  the  extraordinary  size  and  projection 
of  the  rudder,  and  the  length  of  the  tiller.  The 
anchors  are  of  grapnel  shape,  and  the  larger  jimks 
have  from  six  to  eight  arranged  on  the  fore-end,  giv- 
ing one  an  idea  of  bad  holding-ground  along  the  coast. 
They  really  are  much  like  the  shape  of  a Chinese 
“ small-footed  ” woman’s  shoe,  and  look  very  unman- 
ageable. They  are  of  unpainted  wood,  and  have  a 
wintry,  ghastly  look  about  them.^ 

I have  parted  with  Ito  finally  to-day,  with  great 
regret.  He  has  served  me  faithfully,  and  on  most 
common  topics  I can  get  much  more  information 
through  him  than  from  any  foreigner.  I miss  him  al- 
ready, though  he  insisted  on  packing  for  me  as  usual, 
and  put  all  my  things  in  order.  His  cleverness  is  some- 
thing surprising.  He  goes  to  a good,  manly  master, 
who  ^vill  help  him  to  be  good,  and  set  him  a vii’tuous 
example,  and  that  is  a satisfaction.  Before  he  left  he 
wrote  a letter  for  me  to  the  Governor  of  Mororan, 
thanking  him  on  my  behalf  for  the  use  of  the  Tzuruma 
and  other  courtesies. 

A Japanese  letter  always  begins  with  a compliment, 

1 The  duty  paid  by  junks  is  4s.  for  each  twenty-five  tons,  hy  sailing 
ships  of  foreign  shape  and  rig  £2  for  each  100  tons,  and  hy  steamers  £& 
lor  each  100  tons. 


166 


UNBEATEN  TBACKS  IN  JAPAN. 


usually  to  the  health  of  the  person  addressed,  and  1e 
the  case  of  an  inferior  at  least  concludes  with  an 
expression  of  humiliation,  followed  by  the  names  of  the 
sender  and  the  person  addressed,  the  latter  with  a hon- 
orific title.  I was  made  to  regret  that  I had  not  been 
able  “ to  worship  the  Governor’s  most  exalted  visage,” 
and  to  thank  him  “ with  veneration  for  the  use  of  Ilia 
august  kuruma,  and  for  the  other  exalted  kindnesses 
which  it  had  pleased  him  to  show.”  The  letter  con- 
cluded with,  “ My  august  mistress  lifts  this  up  for  your 
august  information.  I knock  my  head  against  the 
floor.  Tremblingly  said.” 

I cannot  get  a complete  literal  translation  of  this 
remarkable  document,  but  ]\lr.  Chamberlain  kindly 
gave  me  some  samples  of  Japanese  letters  which  wfll 
interest  you  from  the  extreme  orientalism  of  their 
expressions,  though  possibly  they  do  not  go  very  far 
beyond  “your  obedient  humble  servant.” 

Invitation  to  an  Official  Dinner. 

“ As  [I]  am  desirous  of  making  an  august  feast  on 
the  approaching  15th  day  at  the  summer  palace  at 
Shiba,  [I]  am  desirous  of  [your]  august  approach  to 
that  place  on  that  day  at  three  o’clock  in  the  after- 
noon. [I]  lift  this  up  for  [your]  august  information. 
I'remblingly  said. 

“10th  year  of  INIeiji,  12th  moon,  13th  day.” 

[Name  of  sender  and  person  addressed 
with  an  honorifie  title.] 

Letter  from  a High  Official  to  thank  for  the  Present 
of  a Book. 

“ The  exalted  letter  has  been  worshipf illy  perused, 
and  [I]  joyfully  congratulate  [you]  on  [your]  ever- 


A SERVANT’S  EPISTLE. 


167 


increasing  august  robustness, ^ notwithstanding  the 
perpetual  chilly  winds.  My  communication  regards 
the  volume  entitled  Corean  Primer  in  [your]  august 
possession,  which  was  mentioned  the  other  evening 
when  [I]  worshipped  your  eyebrow  [z'.e.  met  you], 
and  which  [you]  have  augustly  condescended  to  send 
[to  me].  The  above  being  a valuable  and  wonderful 
book,  shall  be  garnered  for  ever  in  [my]  library,  and 
taken  out  and  perused. 

“ Respectful  veneration. 

“ 10th  moon,  13th  day.” 

[Names.] 

Letter  from  a Servant  to  his  Master,  who  was  Travelling 
in  the  Interior. 

“ That  through  the  fierce  heat  the  exalted  mastei 
should  have  augustly  arrived  unhurt  in  the  mountains 
is  a subject  for  joyful  congratulation  and  great  felicity, 
which  is  felt  with  veneration.  Meanwhile,  in  the 
exalted  house  there  is  no  change,  and  all  within  the 
august  gate  are  augustly  without  hurt,  therefore  pray 
condescend  to  feel  augustly  at  ease.  [Your]  august 
despatch  reached  [my]  liands  last  night,  and  [I]  there- 
fore have  this  morning  without  delay  augustly  for- 
warded up  [to  you]  eight  newspapers  and  five  letters, 
and  pray  [you]  may  condescend  to  receive  them. 
Pray  condescend  to  take  august  care  [of  your  health] 
during  the  great  heat. 

“ 7th  moon,  22d  day.” 

[Names.] 

The  style  of  letters  is  completely  different  to  that  of 
conversation,  and  to  that  used  in  books,  and  almost 

1 This  is  a usual  form,  and  is  used  quite  irrespectively  of  any  knowl- 
edge the  writer  may  have  of  the  state  of  the  health  of  the  person  he 
addresses. 


lt)«  UNBEATEN  TRACKS  IN  JAPAN. 

forms  a language  apart.  It  is  almost  entirely  Chinese, 
and  the  grandest  and  most  unusual  expressions  are 
sought  after  to  give  it  elegance,  and  to  bring  out  mark 
edly  the  abasement  of  the  sender  and  the  illustrious 
ness  of  the  person  addressed.  The  honorifics  and  ah 
this  paraphernalia  of  a peculiar  style  are  used  even  b;y 
parents  in  addressing  theu’  children.  The  Japanese 
are  great  letter-writers,  and  a good  epistolary  style 
and  good  handwriting  are  greatly  esteemed. 

Ito  writes  to  his  mother  at  great  length  once  a week, 
to  a number  of  young  friends,  and  even  to  acquaint 
ances  such  as  Kanaya,  only  made  since  we  left  T6kiyo 
Everywhere  I have  observed  that  the  young  men  and 
women  spend  much  of  their  leisure  time  in  Avriting, 
and  one  important  branch  of  industry  is  the  designing 
of  decorated  paper  and  envelopes,  of  which  the  variety 
is  infinite.  Dexterity  in  the  use  of  the  camel’s  haii 
brush,  which  serves  for  a pen,  is  regarded  as  an  essen- 
tial result  of  education.  I.  L.  B. 


A MISERABLE  DISAPPOINTMENT. 


109 


A CYCLONE. 

Pleasant  Prospects  — A Miserable  Disappointment  — Caught  m a 
Typhoon  — A Dense  Fog  — Alarmist  Kumours  — A Welcome  at 
Tokiyd  — The  Last  of  the  Mutineers. 

H.B.M.’s  Legation,  Yeuo,  Sept.  21. 

A PLACID  sea,  which  after  much  disturbance  had 
sighed  itself  to  rest,  and  a high,  steady  barometer  prom- 
ised a fifty  hours’  passage  to  Yokohama,  and  ivhen  Dr. 
and  Mrs.  Hepburn  and  I left  Hakodate,  by  moonlight, 
on  the  night  of  the  14th,  as  the  only  passengers  in  the 
Hiogo  Maru.,  Captain  Moore,  her  genial,  pleasant  mas- 
ter, congratulated  us  on  the  rapid  and  delightful  pas- 
sage before  us,  and  we  separated  at  midnight  with  many 
projects  for  pleasant  intercourse  and  occupation. 

But  a more  miserable  voyage  I never  made,  and  it 
was  not  until  the  afternoon  of  the  17th  that  we  crawled 
forth  from  our  cabins  to  speak  to  each  other.  On  the 
second  day  out,  great  heat  came  on  with  suffocating 
closeness,  the  mercury  rose  to  85°,  and  in  lat.  38°  0'  N. 
and  long.  141°  30'  E.  we  encountered  a “typhoon,” 
otherwise  a “cyclone,”  otherwise  a “revolving  hurri- 
cane,” which  lasted  for  twenty-five  hours,  and  “jetti- 
soned ” the  cargo.  Captain  Moore  has  given  me  a very 
interesting  diagram  of  it,  showing  the  attempts  which 
he  made  to  avoid  its  vortex  through  which  our  course 
would  have  taken  us,  and  to  keep  as  much  outside  it  as 
possible.  The  typhoon  was  succeeded  by  a dense  fog, 
so  that  our  fifty-hour  passage  became  seventy-two  hours, 


170 


UNBEATEN  TRACKS  IN  JAPAN. 


and  we  landed  at  Yokohama  near  upon  midnight  of  the 
17th,  to  find  traces  of  much  disaster,  the  whole  low- 
lying  country  flooded,  the  railway  between  Yokohama 
and  the  capital  impassable,  great  anxiety  about  the  rice 
crop,  the  air  full  of  alarmist  rumours,  and  paper  money, 
which  was  about  par  when  I arrived  in  May,  at  a dis- 
count of  13  per  cent ! In  the  early  part  of  this  year 
(1880)  it  has  touched  42  per  cent. 

Late  in  the  afternoon  the  railroad  was  re-opened,  and 
I came  here  with  Mr.  Wilkinson,  glad  to  settle  down 
to  a period  of  rest  and  ease  under  this  hospitable  roof. 
The  afternoon  was  bright  and  sunny,  and  TokiyO  was 
looking  its  best.  The  long  lines  of  yasMkis  looked 
handsome,  the  castle  moat  was  so  full  of  the  gigantic 
leaves  of  the  lotus,  that  the  water  was  hardly  visible, 
the  grass  embankments  of  the  upper  moat  were  a bril- 
liant green,  the  pines  on  their  summits  stood  out  boldly 
against  the  clear  sky,  the  liill  on  which  the  Legation 
stands  looked  dry  and  cheerful,  and,  better  than  all,  I 
had  a most  kindly  welcome  from  those  who  have  made 
this  house  mj^  home  in  a strange  land. 

T8kiyo  is  tranquil,  that  is,  it  is  disturbed  only  by 
fears  for  the  rice-crop,  and  by  the  fall  in  satsu.  The 
military  mutineers  have  been  tried,  popular  rumour  says 
tortured,  and  fifty-two  have  been  shot.  The  summer 
has  been  the  worst  for  some  years,  and  now  dark  heat, 
moist  heat,  and  nearly  ceaseless  rain  prevail.  People 
have  been  “ rained  up  ” in  theii-  summer  quarters. 
“ Surely  it  will  change  soon,”  people  say,  and  they  ha^e 
said  the  same  thing  for  three  months.  I.  L.  B. 


A METAMORPHOSIS. 


171 


NOTES  ON  TOKIYO.» 

A.  Metamorphosis  — “ Magnificent  Distances  ” — Climate  — The  Cas- 
tle— The  Official  Quarter  — The  “Feudal  Mansions  of  Yedo”  — 
Commercial  Activity  — The  Canals  — Streets  and  Shop  Signs  — 
Street  Names. 

With  Yedo,^  the  mysterious  city  of  the  ShQgun,  J 
have  nothing  to  do,  and  gladly  leave  it  to  the  researches 
of  the  learned  members  of  the  Asiatic  Society  of  Japan. 
Yedo  is  in  fact  no  more.  The  moats,  walls,  and  em- 
bankments, the  long  lines  of  decaying  yashikis.,  and  the 
shrines  of  Shiba  and  Uyeno,  with  the  glories  of  their 
gilded  and  coloured  twilight,  alone  recall  its  splendid 
past.  The  palace  within  the  castle  no  longer  exists, 
the  last  Sh3gun  lives  in  retirement  at  Shidzuoka ; the 
daimiyo  are  scattered  through  the  suburbs  ; not  a “ two- 
sworded  ” man  is  to  be  seen ; Mutsuhito,  the  “ Spiritual 
Emperor,”  the  son  of  the  gods,  dressed  in  European 
clothes,  drives  through  streets  of  unconcerned  specta- 
tors in  a European  carriage ; twelve  years  have  meta- 
morphosed ancient  Yedo  into  modern  Tokiyu,  and  if 
the  old  city,  with  its  buildings  and  customs,  be  not  alto- 
gether forgotten,  it  is  due  to  the  careful  and  loving 
labours  of  foreign  scholars. 

1 These  Notes  merely  refer  to  a few  of  the  features  of  Tokiyo,  at  the 
present  time.  A third  volume  would  scarcely  exhaust  its  interests  and 
peculiarities. 

2 The  British  Legation,  with  pathetic  Conservatism,  still  uses  this 
name  officially,  and  all  scholars  who  cling  to  the  past  of  the  Empire, 
a.id  ignore  the  “ vulgarity  ” of  Western  innovation,  do  the  same. 


1.72 


UNBEATEN  TRACKS  IN  .,APAN. 


The  first  thing  a stranger  tries  to  do,  is  to  get  a gen- 
eral idea  of  the  town,  but  the  ascent  of  Atagayama  and 
other  elevated  places  proves  a failure  ; there  is  no  one 
point  from  which  it  can  be  seen,  and  the  only  way  of 
grasping  it  satisfactorily  would  be  from  a balloon ! 
Frcm  every  altitude,  however,  dark  patches  of  forest- 
the  low  elevation  crowned  by  the  walls  of  the  Castle 
topped  by  dark  groves  of  pine  and  cryptomeria,  broken 
hdls  and  hollows  with  groups  of  temples,  hills  Avith 
streets  straggling  over  their  crests,  shady  places  where 
the  dead  lie,  parks,  temple  grounds,  and  garden-bor- 
dered streets,  sweeping,  tiled  roofs  of  temples,  small 
oblong  buildings  glaring  with  white  cement,  long  lines 
of  low,  grey  roofs,  green  slopes,  gleams  of  moats  and 
canals,  and  Europeanised  buildings,  conspicuous  by 
their  windows  and  their  ugliness,  are  sure  to  be  seen, 
and  the  eye  soon  learns  to  distinguish  as  landmarks  the 
groves  of  Shiba,  Uyeno,  and  the  Castle.  On  fine  da5"s 
Fujisan  looms  grandly  in  the  distance,  and  the  white 
sails  of  junks,  on  the  blue  waters  of  the  Gulf  of  Yedo, 
give  life  to  a somewhat  motionless  scene. 

No  view  of  Tokiyo,  leaving  out  the  impression  pro- 
duced by  size,  is  striking,  indeed  there  is  a monotony 
of  meanness  about  it.  The  hills  are  not  heights,  and 
there  are  no  salient  objects  to  detain  the  eye  for  an  in- 
stant. As  a city  it  lacks  concentration.  Masses  of 
greenery,  Kned  or  patched  with  grej’’,  and  an  absence  of 
beginning  or  end,  look  suburban  rather  than  metropoli- 
tan. Far  away  in  the  distance  are  other  grey  patches ; 
you  are  told  that  those  are  still  T6kiy3,  and  you  ask  no 
more.  It  is  a city  of  “magnificent  distances”  without 
magnificence.  You  can  drive  in  a crooked  line  fifteen 
miles  from  north  to  south,  and  eleven  miles  from  east  to 
west  at  least,  and  are  still  in  Tokiyo.  The  blue  waters 
the  gulf  are  its  only  recognisable  boundary.  It  is 


CLIMATE. 


173 


an  aggregate  of  125  villages,  which  grew  together 
round  the  great  fortress  of  the  Mihado’s  chief  vassal, 
and  which,  while  retaining  their  parks,  country  houses, 
gardens,  lakes,  streams,  and  fields,  their  rustic  lanes  and 
sylvan  beauty,  have  agreed  to  call  themselves  TSkiyC, 
and  in  certain  quarters,  such  as  the  neighbourhood  of 
the  Nippon-Bashi,  Asakusa,  and  the  Shimmei-mai,  have 
packed  themselves  pretty  closely  together.  The  bright 
Sumida,  which  once  enclosed  a part  of  the  city,  has  now 
a transpontine  Tfikiyfi,  the  populous  district  of  Hondjo 
on  its  other  side,  and  on  the  east  and  west  miniature 
hills  and  valleys  with  rice-fields,  pines,  camellias,  and 
bamboo,  come  up  into  the  suburbs.  There  is  no  smoke, 
and  no  hum  or  clatter  ascends. 

I do  not  intend  to  describe  Tfikiyo.  This  has  been 
done  often,  and  in  some  cases  well,  in  so  far  as  it  is 
possible  to  do  it  at  all.  The  Notes  which  follow  were 
taken  for  my  own  information,  and,  in  connection  with 
the  more  pictorial  accounts  given  by  other  travellers, 
may  help  my  readers  to  some  additional  knowledge  of 
the  city  which  has  been  raised  to  the  dignity  of  the 
capital  of  Japan. 

T6kiy8  is  situated  in  lat.  35°  39'  N.  and  in  long.  139° 
45'  E.,  at  the  head  of  the  Gulf  of  Yedo,  where  the 
Sumida,  the  Kan  da,  and  several  small  streams  fall  into 
the  sea.  Thus  it  is  slightly  south  of  Gibraltar,  but  its 
isotherm  is  that  of  Bologna  and  Marseilles.  Its  annual 
rainfall  is  about  60  inches.  That  of  1878,  however, 
was  69.460  inches,  of  which  18  inches  fell  in  September,, 
The  average  number  of  rain-days  is  98.  The  months 
of  least  rain  are  December,  January,  and  February,  and 
those  of  the  greatest  are  usually  June  and  July.  The 
snow-fall  is  very  light,  and  snow  rarely  lies  long  on  the 
ground.  Days  on  which  the  mercury  never  rises  above 
the  freezing-point  are  very  rare,  and  only  occur  with  a 


174 


UNBEATEN  TRACKS  IN  JAPAN. 


persistent  iiorth-west  wind  : but  it  often  falls  below  82' 
at  night,  for  weeks  together,  and  the  average  number 
cf  such  nights  is  75  per  season.  It  is  quite  a mistake 
to  siqjpose  that  Japan  has  no  winter.  The  cold  is  pene- 
trating and  merciless,  owing  to  the  humidity  of  the 
climate.  People  suffer  more  at  T6kiy6  with  the  mer 
cury  at  86°,  than  in  Colorado,  when  it  is  below  zero. 
As  the  cold  increases,  so  does  the  amplitude  of  the  To 
kiyans,  for  they  put  on  one  wadded  garment  above 
another,  and  withdrawing  their  hands  into  the  wide  and 
sticking  out  sleeves,  looked  like  trussed  poultry-.  Bare 
heads  are  not  seen  in  winter,  and  at  the  top  of  this 
mass  of  padding,  two  eyes  peer  from  among  folds  of 
cotton. 

Heat  sets  in  in  June,  and  often  continues  without  a 
break  until  the  middle  or  end  of  September.  In  Au- 
gust the  mercury  occasionally  rises  to  96° ; foreigners 
fly  from  the  capital,  and  the  enforced  clothing  of  tlie 
natives  is  minimised.  In  January  and  February  the 
mercury  falls  as  low  as  25°.  “ Typhoons,'’  or  revolving 

hurricanes,  occur-  in  July,  August,  and  September,  and 
earthquakes  so  frequently,  that  it  requmes  a pretty 
smart  shock  to  disturb  the  equanimity  of  the  residents : 
but  there  has  not  been  a really  severe  one  since  1854, 
when  a considerable  portion  of  the  city  was  destroyed. 
T6kiy8  has  a long  summer-time,  beginning  really  early 
in  May,  and  extending  into  October,  and  its  winter  is 
bright  and  sunny  until  February,  when  the  weather 
breaks,  with  snow,  rain,  and  gales.  The  soil  is  alluHal, 
with  a large  proportion  of  clay;  but  the  streets  dry 
immediately  after  rain,  and  there  are  neither  holes  nor 
ruts  for  the  retention  of  stagnant  water.  Such,  in 
brief,  are  its  general  climatic  conditions. 

Its  population,  like  that  of  most  eastern  cities,  has 
been  much  exaggerated,  and  the  withdrawal  of  the  re 


THE  CASTLE. 


175 


tainers  of  tLe  daimiyo  has  reduced  it  to  the  manageable 
size  of  New  York  and  Paris.  It  has  236,961  houses, 
hihabited  by  1,036,771  persons,  of  whom  536,621  are 
males  and  500,150  are  females,  a disparity  more  easily 
accounted  for  in  T8kiy8  than  elsewhere. 

The  Castle,  with  its  surroundings,  the  first  object 
which  impresses  a stranger  on  arriving  from  Yokohama 
by  railroad,  formerly  known  as  the  “ Official  Quarter,” 
and  still  retaining  a strong  flavour  of  officialism,  is  the 
nucleus  round  which  the  city  has  crystallised ; and 
though  the  Castle  Palace  within  the  inner  enclosure 
has  disappeared,  the  Castle  itself  is  much  as  it  was 
when  completed  by  ly^mitsu,  two  centuries  and  a half 
ago. 

Its  broad  moats  of  deep,  green  waters,  covered  thick- 
ly with  magnificent  lotus  blossoms  in  the  late  summer, 
and  with  wild-fowl  in  the  early  winter,  are  very  impos- 
ing, from  their  depth  and  width,  the  height  of  their 
ramparts,  and  the  greenness  of  the  lawn-like  turf  with 
which  they  are  covered,  and  the  size  of  the  trees  by 
which  they  are  crowned.  These  ramparts,  in  some 
places,  are  100  feet  high,  and  there  are  eleven  miles  of 
moats.  Equally  imposing  are  the  stupendous  walls, 
formed  of  polygonal  blocks  of  stone,  laid  without  mor- 
tar, rising  almost  perpendicularly  from  the  water,  with 
kiosk-shaped  towers  on  their  angles,  and  a three-sto- 
reyed tower  overhanging  the  Hasu-ike  gate.  The  gates, 
twenty-seven  in  number,  are  composed  of  massive  tim- 
bers on  handsome  stone  foundations,  and,  in  the  lower 
castle,  are  approached  by  bridges  and  causeways. 
Their  height  varies  from  ten  to  eighteen  feet,  and  the 
inner  ones  have  two-storeyed  buildings  above  them, 
with  high,  ornamental  roofs,  and  long,  upturned  eaves. 
On  the  lower  ground,  fronting  the  sea,  the  nearly  per- 
pendicular, stone-faced  embankments  are  60  feet  high- 


176 


UNBEATEN  TRACKS  IN  JAPAN. 


The  Palace  was  burned  down  in  1873;  and  withui  the 
inner  moat  there  is  little  but  the  beautiful  Fnkiagd 
Gardens  mentioned  on  page  36,  the  Treasury  go- 
downs,  a three-storeyed  tower,  and  a drill-ground  for 
troops.  Altogether,  the  Castle  is  by  far  the  jnost  im- 
pressive feature  of  TokiyS,  from  its  vastness,  and  from 
the  size  of  the  stones  used  in  the  walls,  some  of  which 
are  16  feet  in  length.  It  is,  moreover,  very  puzzling, 
and  though  I spent  some  weeks  witliin  its  moats,  I 
always  found  a little  difficulty  in  retracing  my  way  to 
Kojimachi. 

The  old  “ Official  Quarter  ” is  remarkable  for  the 
long,  dreary  lines  of  the  external  buildings  of  a num- 
ber of  the  yashilcis,  which  were  formerly  the  residences 
of  daimiyv,  and  are  now  either  falling  into  decay  or  are 
utilised  as  public  offices,  whilst  not  a few  have 
altogether  disappeared,  and  the  spaces  on  which  they 
stood  are  enclosed  with  palisades,  and  are  used  for  ex- 
ercising troops,  dressed  in  European  fashion,  and  drilled 
by  French  officers.  Modern  officialism  has  taken  pos- 
session of  this  quarter,  Avhich  contains,  among  much 
else,  the  buildings  occupied  by  the  Supreme  Coimcil, 
the  Imperial  Treasury,  which  includes  the  Finance 
Department,  and  several  bureaus ; the  Departments  of 
the  Interior,  Justice,  Education,  Religion,  War,  and 
INIarine  ; the  headquarters  of  the  French  Mihtaiy  Mis- 
sion; the  Engineering,  Military,  and  Foreign  Language 
Colleges  ; the  IMilitarj^  Hospital,  the  Exhibition  Build- 
ing, the  Government  Printing-Office,  the  Barracks  of 
tlie  Imperial  Guard,  and  of  a few  infantry  and  artillery 
regiments,  the  Municipal  Offices,  the  Shokonsha,  a new 
SliintS  shrine,  erected  to  the  memory  of  those  who  fell 
in  the  civil  war,  and  the  racecourse  and  beacon.  It  is 
sicuificant  of  the  chaime  wliicli  has  turned  Yedo  Into 
TOldyd,  that  the  flags  of  four  “barbarian”  nations  — 


'‘FEUDAL  MANSIONS  OF  TEDO.” 


177 


England,  Russia,  Italy,  and  Germany  — are  displayed 
from  four  ccnspicuous  buildings  which  have  been 
erected  in  this  formerly  sacred  region.  Many  of  the 
Government  Departments  are  accommodated  in  tlio 
yashilds  of  the  former  Princes  of  the  Empire,  and 
the  French  Military  Mission  has  its  quarters  in  the  ii 
Kamon  yashiki^  situated  on  a hill  close  to  the  British 
Legation,  its  great,  dull  red  portal  being  the  most  con- 
spicuous object  in  the  neighbourhood. 

Next  to  the  Castle,  the  most  characteristic  features 
of  the  city  are  these  “Feudal  Mansions  of  Yedo,’’ 
the  yashikis  of  the  former  daimiyd,  which  lie  within 
the  Castle  moat  in  great  numbers,  and  are  scattered 
over  the  northern  and  southern  quarters  of  the  town . 
Whether  they  are  occupied  as  Departments  or  not,  the 
street  fronts  of  the  outer  buildings  always  present 
the  same  dreary,  silent,  monotonous,  rat-haunted  look, 
grimness  without  grandeur. 

All  are  on  the  same  pattern,  with  insignificant  varia- 
tions regulated  by  etiquette.  All  are  surrounded  by 
uncovered  ditches  with  stone-faced  sides,  crossed  at 
the  gateways  by  stone  platforms,  and  varying  in  width 
from  eighteen  inches  to  trenches  which  may  almost  be 
called  moats.  Inside  the  ditch  are  foundations,  from 
one  to  six  feet  in  height,  of  blocks  of  stone  of  irregu- 
lar shape,  carefully  fitted  without  mortar,  on  which 
stand  the  nagoya,  the  quarters  formerly  occupied  by 
the  two-sworded  retainers  of  the  princes  as  the  exterior 
defences  of  the  mansion.  They  are  long,  continuous 
lines  of  building,  mile  after  mile  of  them,  their  dismal 
frontage  only  broken  by  gateways  of  heavy  timbers 
clamped  with  bronze  or  iron.  Heavily-tiled  roofs,  with 
the  crest  of  the  daimiyd  on  the  terminal  tiles,  the  upper 
storeys,  where  they  have  them,  covered  with  white 
plaster,  the  lower  painted  black,  or  faced  with  dark 


178 


(JN BEATEN  TRACKS  IN  JAPAN. 


coloured  tiles  placed  diagonally,  with  their  joints  cov- 
ered Ai^ith  white  plaster  and  forming  a diamond  pattern, 
the  windows  broader  than  high,  massively  barred,  and 
often  projecting  from  the  walls,  form  a style  of  street 
‘architecture  as  peculiar  as  it  is  unimposing. 

The  gateways,  which  at  intervals  break  the  dreary 
lines,  are  strildng  and  picturesque,  subject,  like  the 
roofs,  to  variations  which,  to  the  initiated,  indicate  the 
former  owner’s  rank.  The  chief  entrances  consist  of 
two  large,  weighty,  folding  doors,  studded  outside  with 
heavy  knobs  of  metal,  the  great  posts  on  which  they 
swing,  and  the  ponderous  beam  overhead  often  being 
sheathed  with  the  same.  The}'’  are  equipped  with  por- 
ters’ lodges  and  postern  gates  for  use  m case  of  fire  or 
earthquake.  Among  the  grandest  are  those  of  the 
yashilci.,  now  occupied  by  the  War  Department,  and  of 
that  lately  occupied  by  the  Education  Department ; 
but  there  are  others  of  singular  stateliness,  including 
the  dull  red  portal  previously  mentioned. 

The  nagoya  run  round  a large  area,  which  may  be 
regarded  as  haA'ing  been  tne  camp  of  the  former  owner, 
the  mansion  itself,  the  kernel  of  the  whole,  standing  in 
the  middle  in  a courtyard,  sometimes  altogether 
flagged,  and  at  others  pebbled,  with  flagged  pathways, 
privacy  being  secured  by  a plastered  wall  or  wooden 
screen.  These  mansions  differ  from  ordinary  Japanese 
houses  mainly  in  the  number  and  size  of  the  rooms  [as 
may  be  seen  in  the  yashiJci  occupied  by  the  Offices  of 
the  Government  of  Tokiyfi],  among  which  are  a hall  of 
audience,  waiting  rooms,  private  apartments,  and  sep- 
arate suites  of  rooms,  often  of  great  extent,  for  the 
ladies  of  the  household,  with  small  guard-rooms  for  the 
retamers  on  duty.  The  posts  and  beams  are  of  finely 
gramed,  uuA'arnished  wood,  ornamented  at  the  joints 
with  pieces  of  metal,  pierced  or  engraved,  and  bearing 


“FEUDAL  MANSIONS  OF  YEDO.’ 


17S 


the  owner’s  crest.  The  paper  screens  and  sliding 
doors  are  either  plain  or  heavily  covered  with  gold-leaf 
adorned  with  paintings,  and  the  floors  are  flnely  matted 
Of  furniture  there  is  and  was  none.  These  mansions, 
however,  belong  to  Yedo  rather  than  to  T6kiy8,  and  to 
the  province  of  the  antiquary.^ 

The  fire  look-out  stations,  or  wooden  towers,  erected 
on  the  top  of  the  main  hall,  are  still  conspicuouo 
objects.  The  gardens  were  often  of  immense  extent 
and  great  beauty,  and  the  groves  of  those  of  the  Mitu 
and  Owari  yashiMs  are  prominent  landmarks. 

Though  the  long  lines  of  the  nagoya  of  these  feudal 
mansions  are  still  characteristic  of  the  region  within 
the  inner  moat,  the  yashiJcis  are  fast  disappearing.  The 
Yamato  and  Kaga  yashiMs  have  been  removed,  and 
their  sites  are  covered  with  the  bungalows  of  foreigners 
in  Japanese  service.  Some  have  been  burned,  and  the 
nagoya  of  others  have  been  turned  into  shops,  but  it  is 
to  be  hoped  that  the  Government  will  defer  to  the 
desire  expressed  by  foreigners  for  the  conservation  of 
relics  of  the  recent  past,  and  that  those  occupied  ofl&- 
cially  wfll  be  kept  in  repair. 

These  great  wooden  camps,  for  they  were  nothing 
else,  go  far  to  account  for  the  immense  area  occupied 
by  this  singular  city,  for  each  yashiM  of  importance 
covers  many  acres  of  ground,  and  there  were  268 
daimiyo,  most  of  whom  possessed  three  yashiMs  apiece, 
and  were  attended  to  the  capital  by  1000,  2000,  and 
even  3000  armed  retainers.  The  process  of  decay  has 
been  a rapid  one,  for  it  was  only  in  1871  that  these 

1 The  yashikis,  with  their  exterior  and  interior  arrangements,  and  the 
rigid  etiquette  which  governed  even  their  smallest  details,  have  been 
carefully  and  brilliantly  described  by  Mr.  M'Clatchie,  of  H.B.M.’s 
Consular  service,  in  a paper  called  “ The  Feudal  Mansions  of  Yedo,  ” 
published  in  the  Transactions  of  the  English  Asiatic  Society  of  Japan 
tor  1879, 


180 


UNBEATEN  TRACKS  IN  JAPAN. 


princes  were  called  upon  to  retire  into  private  life, 
when  their  town  dwellings,  as  well  as  their  castlea 
scattered  throughout  Japan,  became  the  property  ol 
the  Government. 

Outside  the  Official  Quarter  are  the  city,  and  the 
districts  of  north,  east,  and  south  T6ki3f6,  contain 
ing  Shiba  and  Uyeno,  with  their  temples,  groves, 
shrines,  avenues,  and  gardens,  and  the  gorgeous  tombs 
of  eleven  of  the  ShSguns  of  the  Tokugawa  dynasty ; 
Tsukiji,  the  “ Foreign  Concession,”  and  centre  of  for- 
eign Missions  ; Asakusa,  with  the  great  popular  temple 
of  Kwan-non  and  its  surrounding  exhibitions  ; Oji  with 
its  temples  and  tea-houses ; Mukojima  ^vith  its  tea- 
houses, cherry  avenues,  and  shi-ines ; IMeguro  with  its 
rural  beauty,  its  temples,  and  cremation-ground,  and 
the  tombs  of  Gompachi  and  Kamurasaki;  Takanaw^a, 
famous  for  attacks  on  the  British  Legation,  and  for  the 
tombs  of  the  “ Forty-seven  ronins,”  and  Shinagawa,  ol 
evil  fame,  the  suburb  which  lies  nearest  to  Yokohama, 
are  all  names  which  have  become  familiar  from  the 
reports  of  travellers  and  Mr.  Mitford’s  Tales  of  Old 
Japan. 

Of  all  Tokij^Q,  the  city  proper  is  the  most  densely 
populated  district,  and  not  the  least  interesting,  as  it  is 
thoroughly  Japanese,  and  few  traces  of  foreign  influ- 
ence are  to  be  seen.  The  Nipponbashi,  or  Bridge  of 
Japan,  is  there,  the  geograpliical  centre  of  the  Empu-e, 
from  which  all  distances  are  measured;  the  main  street 
and  numerous  canals  run  tlirough  it,  and  ever}^  part  of 
it  is  occupied  with  shops,  storehouses,  fireproof  ware- 
houses, and  places  of  wholesale  business,  and  their  deep, 
heavily-tiled  roofs  almost  redeem  it  from  insignificance. 
The  canals  are  jammed  with  neatlj  -roofed  boats  piled 
with  produce,  and  on  the  roadways,  loaded  pack-horses, 
coolies,  and  man-carts  with  their  shouting  and  strug 


THE  CANALS. 


183 


gling  teams,  leave  barely  room  for  the  sight-seer.  No 
streets  of  Liverpool  or  New  York  present  more  com- 
mercial activity.  No  time  is  lost,  — ‘■‘•Presto"  is  the 
motto,  — and  loading,  unloading,  packing,  unpacking, 
and  warehousing,  are  carried  on  during  daylight  with 
much  rapidity  and  noise.  One  would  think  that  all  the 
rice  of  Japan  had  accumulated  in  the  storehouses  which 
line  the  canals,  as  well  as  the  energy,  bustle,  and  busi- 
nesB  of  the  Empire. 

The  canals,  which  form,  as  at  Niigata,  a convenient 
network  of  communication,  are  water-streets  as  well  as 
waterways,  and  are  always  thronged  with  loaded  boats, 
and  at  certain  times  with  pleasure-boats,  and  nocturnal 
boat  processions  illuminated  with  paper  lanterns.  The 
tide  runs  through  them  and  keeps  them  sweet,  but  at 
low-water  they  look  dirty  and  dismal,  with  their  ragged 
fringe  of  sheds,  and  boats  lying  on  the  slime  in  which 
hundreds  of  children  wallow  with  amphibious  satisfac- 
tion. So  many  moats  and  canals  involve  a large  num- 
ber of  bridges,  but  few  of  these  are  of  stone.  Yaetai- 
bashi,  one  of  the  longest,  has  twenty-four  spans  of 
thirty  feet  each.  T6kiyci,  in  few  things  “behind  the 
age,”  possesses  waterworks,  and  the  supply  is  brought 
from  a distance  of  nine  miles  in  curious,  square,  wooden 
pipes,  the  mains  from  one  to  two  feet  square,  and  the 
distribution  pipes  four  inches  square ; but  there  are  no 
filtering  beds,  and  the  water  is  more  abundant  than 
absolutely  pure. 

The  Japanese  are  the  most  irreligious  people  that  I 
have  ever  seen  — their  pilgrimages  are  piciiics,  and  their 
religious  festivals  fairs ; but  a pious  spirit  must  have 
existed  once  at  TokiyO,  for  an  immense  quantity  of 
ground  is  taken  up  not  only  with  temples,  colleges  for 
priests,  pagodas  and  shrines,  but  with  the  grounds  be- 
longing to  them,  as  at  Shiba,  Asakusa,  and  Uyeno.  It 


182 


UNBEATEN  TRACKS  IN  JAPAN. 


is  said  that,  including  the  shrines  to  Inari  Sama,  the 
patron  of  agriculture,  there  are  over  3000  buildings  in 
the  capital  dedicated  to  Shinto  and  Buddhist  divinities, 
and  the  Buddhists  are  still  erecting  temples  on  a grand 
scale.  Asakusa  has  already  been  described,  and  the 
shrines  of  the  ShSguns  in  Shiba  vary  so  little  in  their 
main  features  from  those  of  NikkO  that  it  is  needless  to 
write  of  them,  specially  as  nothing  but  the  most  de- 
tailed and  technical  description  could  give  the  reader 
any  idea  of  their  peculiar  beauty,  which  is  ever  sug 
gesting  the  regret  that  the  work  of  the  artist  should  be 
in  a material  so  perishable  as  wood.  The  immense 
groves  of  the  temples  of  Shiba  and  Uyeno  have  been 
turned  into  public  parks,  whose  broad  carriage-roads 
and  shady  avenues  vie  with  those  of  any  parks  in 
Europe.  Besides  groups  and  streets  of  temples,  there 
are  temples  stowed  away  in  unlikely,  crowded,  or  ob- 
scure localities,  and  some  of  these  are  great  resorts  of 
the  populace,  such  as  a small  shrine  in  the  narrow  busi- 
ness street  called  Sliimmei-mai,  the  walls  and  court  of 
which  are  nearly  concealed  by  ex  votos  offered  by  suffer- 
ers from  toothache,  who  believe  themselves  to  have 
been  healed  by  the  god  to  whom  it  is  dedicated.  Other 
small  temples  are  resorted  to  by  childless  wives,  and 
the  altars  of  oiie  divinity,  who  is  supposed  to  secure 
the  faithfulness  of  husbands,  are  always  thronged  with 
suppliants,  of  whose  earnestness  there  can  be  no  doubt. 

The  streets  of  the  capital  number  1400,  very  few  re- 
taining the  same  name  along  their  entire  length.  They 
are  of  unpainted  wood,  and  no  description  can  give  an 
idea  of  their  monotonous  meanness.  Except  that  they 
are  the  scenes  of  a bustle  which  exists  nowhere  else  in 
Japan  but  in  Osaka,  the  lines  of  the  TokiyO  shops  differ 
in  few  respects  from  those  of  Niigata,  described  in 
Letter  XXI. ; it  is  emphatically  a city  of  shopkeepers, 


t 


ENTRANCE  To  SMIUNK  OE  SEVENTH  SHOGUN,  SHIBA,  ToKIVo. 


184 


UNBEATEN  TRACKS  IN  JAPAN. 


and  great  numbers  of  its  streets  have  the  short,  shop 
uiirtains  hanging  along  their  entu-e  length.  Most  ol 
them,  as  elsewhere,  are  of  small  dimensions,  resembling 
dolls’  houses  as  much  by  their  size  as  by  the  smallness 
and  exquisite  neatness  of  their  wares.  Unless  accom- 
panied by  a Japanese  or  an  intelligent  foreign  resident, 
it  is  impossible  even  to  guess  at  the  uses  of  half  the 
things  which  are  exposed  for  sale,  and  pilgrimages 
among  the  shops  are  by  no  means  an  insignificant  aid 
to  learning  something  of  the  requirements  and  mode  of 
living  of  the  people,  though  it  is  at  Tokiyd  more  than 
anywhere  else  that  one  feels  how  much  there  is  to  learn, 
and  how  comparatively  little  could  be  learned,  even  by 
the  assiduous  application  of  many  years.  A great 
number  of  the  articles  sold  are  actually  made  at 
TokiyO,  and,  as  befits  a capital,  it  is  a grand  emporium 
for  the  productions  of  the  whole  Empire. 

The  street  signs  do  little  to  relieve  the  monotony  of 
the  low,  grey  houses,  nor  do  the  shops  (except  the  toy- 
shops which  are  gorgeous)  make  much  show,  with  their 
low  fronts  half-concealed  by  curtains.  Confectioners 
usually  display  a spiked  white  ball  a foot  and  a half 
in  diameter ; sa^e-dealers  a cluster  of  cypress  trimmed 
into  a sphere ; the  sellers  of  the  crimson  pigment  with 
wliieh  women  varnish  their  lips  a red  flag  ; goldbeaters 
a great  pair  of  square  spectacles,  with  gold  instead  of 
glass ; druggists  and  herbalists  a big  bag  resembling  in 
shape  the  small  ones  used  in  making  their  infusions: 
kite-makers  a cuttle-fish ; sellers  of  cut  flowers  a small 
willow  tree  ; dealers  in  dried  and  salt  fish,  etc.,  two  fish, 
coloured  red,  and.  tied  together  by  the  gfils  with  straw, 
indicating  that  they  can  supply  the  gifts  which  it  is 
usual  to  make  to  betrothed  persons ; but  the  Brobdig- 
nagian  signs  in  black,  red,  and  gold,  which  light  up  the 
streets  of  Canton,  are  too  “ loud  ” and  explicit  foi 


STREET  NAMES. 


185 


Japanese  taste,  which  prefers  the  simple  and  symboli- 
cal. 

Many  of  the  streets  remain  exclusively  Japanese; 
and  their  shops  sell  nothing  but  Japanese  goods ; but 
others  have  been  westernised,  and  are  simply  repulsive- 
looking,  as,  to  my  thinking,  are  most  of  the  other  Eu- 
iopean  innovations.  It  may  be  said,  once  for  all,  that 
there  is  not  a fine  street  in  Tokiyfi,  though  some  in 
which  the  roofs  are  deep  and  heavily  tiled  are  slightly 
picturesque.  On  the  whole  they  are  flimsy,  unpictur- 
esque,  and  perishable,  and  singularly  unimpressive  ex- 
cept from  the  crowds  which  frequent  them.  There  are 
no  side-walks,  but  the  roadways  are  so  beautifully  clean 
that  they  are  not  missed.  External  cleanliness  is  a 
characteristic  of  the  city.  The  sewage  is  carried  out 
for  the  fertilisation  of  the  neighbouring  country  by  men 
and  horses  in  neat,  covered  pails,  and,  as  a whole,  the 
city  is  remarkably  sweet,  though  it  must  be  confessed 
that  sundry  black  ditches  give  off,  in  hot  weather, 
odours  which  suggest  “drain  fever.”  Public  bath- 
houses abound. 

The  theatres  are  mainly  confined  to  Saruwaka  Street, 
and  most  dissipations  and  amusements  have  their  re- 
spective localities. 

The  street  names  are  a study  in  themselves,^  and  are 
very  numerous,  as  a single  street  sometimes  receives  as 
many  as  twenty  for  twenty  parts  of  its  length.  Japan 
has  no  Aboukirs,  Agincourts,  or  Almas  to  coinmemo- 
rate.  Owing  to  her  insular  position,  her  wars,  such  as 
they  have  been,  have  been  mainly  internecine,  and  it 
has  not  been  the  custom  to  perpetuate  by  street  names 
either  the  heroes  or  victories  of  civil  strife.  A few,  in- 

1 Mr.  Griffis,  author  of  the  Mikado’s  Empire,  contributed  a very  in- 
teresting paper  upon  this  subject  to  the  Transactions  of  the  English 
Asiatic  Society  of  Japan. 


186 


UNBEATEN  TRACKS  IN  JAPAN. 


deed,  are  called  after  the  soldier-emperor  Hachimaa ; 
some  are  named  after  famous  wrestlers,  priests,  or  nuns ; 
the  great  theatre  street  after  Saruwaka,  the  founder  of 
the  modern  Japanese  theatre ; and  oiae  after  Kin  da 
hliyamoto,  an  ancient  fencing-master  who  murdered  his 
father,  and  is  the  hero  of  many  fictitious  tales  of  re- 
venge. The  popular  deities,  and  the  dragon,  tiie  favour- 
ite mythical  monster,  play  a very  insignificant  part  in 
street  nomenclature. 

Of  the  1400  streets  of  Tokiyo,  about  two-thirds  de- 
rive their  names  from  natural  objects,  another  proof  of 
the  love  of  nature  which  is  so  strong  among  the  Japan- 
ese. There  is  a Matsu  or  Pine  Street  in  nearly  every 
one  of  the  ninety-six  subdivisions  of  the  city.  Scores 
of  streets  are  named  after  the  willow  and  bamboo, 
and  a number  after  the  cedar,  peony,  rush,  rice-plant. 
woriuAvood,  holly,  and  chrysanthemum.  Among  the 
more  fanciful  names  are  Plum  Orchard,  Pure  Water, 
Sun  Shade,  Morning  Sun,  Flowing  River,  ^Mountain 
Breeze,  and  New  Blossom;  and  beasts  and  birds  are 
not  forgotten,  for  there  are  Badger,  Tortoise,  Monkey, 
Stork,  Bear,  and  Pheasant  Streets  re-duplicated,  and 
twenty  streets  are  called  after  that  unworth}’  brute  the 
Japanese  horse.  Pack  Horse  Relay  Street  being  the  old- 
est in  T6kiy8.  Invention  languishes  there  as  with  us. 
Tliei  e are  more  than  twenty  timber  streets : and  the 
names  of  trades  are  frequently  repeated,  such  as  Car- 
penter.  Blacksmith,  Dj^er,  SaAAyer,  Fanner,  Coolie, 
and  Cooper.  A farther  descent  is  to  File,  Kettle,  Pot, 
and  Table.  Many  are  named  from  Salt,  Wheat,  Indigo, 
Charcoal,  Hair,  Leather,  Pen,  Mat,  and  Fan,  and  there 
are  Net,  and  Fresh,  Roasted,  and  Salt  Fish  Streets.  A 
few  are  called  after  such  obsolete  military  weapons  as 
are  only  to  be  found  in  the  iMuseum,  others  are  named 
Abounding  Gladness,  Same  Friend,  Conjugal  Love 
Congratulation,  and  Peace. 


i'TEEET  NAMES. 


187 


The  Restoration,  which  has  changed  so  much,  has  not 
been  without  its  effect  on  street  nomenclature,  for  since 
Tedo  became  T6kiy6,  and  the  ShSgunate  fell,  about  a 
sixth  of  the  street  names,  which  were  associated  with 
the  power  of  the  usurping  vassal,  were  altered,  but 
many  of  the  former  survive  in  popular  usage. 

The  puzzling  repetition  of  the  same  names  arises  from 
the  fact,  to  which  allusion  has  previously  been  made, 
that  the  capital  is  an  aggregation  of  125  villages  more 
or  less  distant  from  each  other.  A letter  has  to  be  ad- 
dressed not  only  with  the  name  of  the  person  to  whom 
it  is  sent,  and  his  street  and  number,  but  with  that  of 
the  ward  of  the  city,  and  of  the  ancient  village,  to 
which  latter  name  the  people  are  tenaciously  attached. 
No  city  is  better  supplied  with  materials  for  a census, 
for  over  each  doorway  there  is  a slip  of  wood  inscribeu^ 
with  the  name  of  the  householder,  and  the  number  and 
sexes  of  his  household,  besides  the  designation  of  the 
street  and  the  number  of  the  house,  which  compensates 
for  the  absence  of  conspicuous  boards  with  street  names 
upon  them. 


188 


UNBEATEN  TMACKS  IN  JAPAN. 


MODERN  INSTITUTIONS. 


The  Cemeteries  — Cremation — Sharp  Criticism  — Stereotyped  Ideas 
— Modern  Constructive  Art  — The  College  of  Engineering  — 
Principal  Dyer  — The  Telegraph  Department  — The  Foreign  Res- 
idents — Forms  of  Flattery  — The  Flower  Festa  — A Memory  of 
Fuji  — Costly  Entertainments — The  Brain  of  New  Japan. 

Two  estimable  features  in  the  Japanese  character  are 
the  respect  in  which  they  hold  their  dead,  and  the  at- 
tention which  they  pay  to  everything  which  can  render 
their  cemeteries  beautiful  and  attractive.  Though  T6- 
kiy6  cannot  boast  of  burial-grounds  of  equal  beauty 
with  those  of  Kiyoto,  its  many  cemeteries  are  all  care- 
fully kept ; and  from  the  gorgeous  shrines  of  Shiba 
and  Uyeno,  where  the  Shoguns  “lie  in  glor}*,’’  down  to 
the  modest  tomb  in  which  the  ashes  of  a coolie  rest, 
there  are  no  grim  contrasts  between  death  and  life,  and 
“ the  house  appointed  for  all  living  ” is  neat,  orna- 
mental, and  befitting  the  position  which  its  occupant 
filled  in  life.  The  solid  granite  monuments,  often  elab- 
orate, are  always  tasteful.  Thej^  vary  from  the  simple 
upright  obelisk  or  stone  pillar  on  a square  pedestal, 
merely  inscribed  with  the  name  of  the  deceased,  to  the 
massive  granite  base  and  carved  column  surmounted 
by  a bronze  Buddha  seated  on  a lotus  blossom,  the  fig- 
ure being  occasional!}^  as  much  as  eight  feet  high.  The 
square  family  mausoleiuns,  carefully  swept,  vith  their 
rows  of  solid  pillars  on  stone  pedestals,  the  fresh  flow- 
ers in  bamboo  llower-holders  by  many  tombs,  the  ex 


CBEMATION. 


189 


(juisite  neatness  of  the  narrow  streets  of  the  dead,  and 
the  number  of  visitors  always  engaged  in  reverently 
tending  the  graves,  lighting  fresh  incense  sticks,  and 
replacing  the  faded  bouquets  with  newly  gathered  ones, 
are  among  the  most  interesting  sights,  not  only  of  To- 
kiyo,  but  of  Japan,  and  the  solidity  of  the  abodes  of 
the  dead  contrasts  curiously  with  the  perishableness  of 
the  houses  of  the  living. 

Cremation,  which  was  interdicted  by  the  Government 
some  years  ago,  is  now  again  permitted,  on  the  grounds 
that  the  Government  declines  to  interfere  with  personal 
wishes,  that  in  so  vast  a city  burial  by  interment  alone 
would,  after  a time,  produce  results  injurious  to  the 
public  health,  and  that  after  some  years  room  would 
scarce!}^  be  found  for  the  dead  among  the  living.  These 
reasons  were  given  me  in  writing  by  Mr.  Masakata 
Kusamoto,  the  enlightened  Governor  of  TokiyQ  Fu^  and 
are  worthy  of  careful  consideration.  Five  cremation 
grounds  exist  in  the  capital,  and  witliin  the  last  four 
years  the  number  of  bodies  disposed  of  by  burning  has 
annually  increased.  Corpses  can  be  burned  for  sums 
varying  from  3s.  8d.  to  20s.,  and  though  the  arrange- 
ments are  very  simple,  no  disagreeable  results  are  to  be 
observed  in  the  neighbourhoods. 

TokiyO,  not  Yedo,  being  my  text,  its  Europeanised 
buildings  deserve  notice,  for  they  are  an  increasingly 
marked  and  very  repulsive  feature  of  the  capital,  and  in 
some  districts  are  taking  the  place  of  houses  of  Japanese 
construction.  They  present  little  variety,  and  with  a 
few  exceptions,  of  which  the  Engineering  College  is  the 
chief,  are  models  of  ugliness  and  had  taste.  They  look 
“ run  up  ” not  built.  They  are  garish,  staring,  glar- 
ing, angular,  white,  many-windowed,  temporary-looking, 
unsuited  to  the  climate,  offensive  to  the  eye,  suggestive 
of  the  outskirts  of  new  cities  in  America,  and  at  theii 


190 


UNBEATEN  TRACKS  IN  JAPAN. 


best  and  cleanest  look  more  like  confectionery  than 
ought  else. 

Stereotyped  ideas  in  architecture  have  marked  the 
past  of  Japan.  The  architect  who  constructed  a mas- 
sive, sweeping  roof,  with  deep  eaves,  supported  it  on 
circular  pillars  on  a raised  platform,  and  called  it  a tem- 
ple, created  a style  of  ecclesiastical  architecture  from 
which  no  builder  has  dared  to  swerve  for  800  years.  So 
(t  may  be  feared  that  the  innovator,  be  he  British  or 
American,  who  designed  the  first  of  these  tasteless, 
Europeanised  structures,  has  ploughed  a groove  so  deep 
that  no  future  projector  will  get  out  of  it,  that  even 
Mr.  Chastel  de  Boinville,  the  arcliitect  to  the  Govern- 
ment, and  of  the  one  appropriate  and  handsome  build- 
ing which  T6kiy8  possesses,  will  find  himself  fettered  by 
newly-created  prejudices  in  favour  of  erections  half-bar- 
rack, half-warehouse,  and  that  the  harmonious  greys, 
velvety-browns,  and  dull  reds  are  discarded  for  ever  by 
modern  Japan. 

My  first  impression  was  that  most  of  the  European- 
ised or  rather  Americanised  buildings  in  the  Official 
Quarter,  in  so  far  as  they  are  of  wood,  were  military  or 
police  barracks  or  cavalry  stables  ; and  the  houses  built 
of  brick,  which  are  the  residences  of  some  of  the  minis- 
ters, are  like  some  of  the  tasteless  -sdllas  of  Holloway 
or  New  Barnet,  wlrile  others  are  so  like  the  staring  tav- 
erns which  deform  the  approaches  to  London,  that  one 
involuntarily  looks  for  the  great  board  wdth  “ Hanbury's 
Entire,”  or  “ Guinness’  Stout  ” upon  it.  They  look 
“ got  up  ” cheaply  of  soft  brick,  and,  between  porous 
bricks  and  bad  mortar,  some  of  them  already  show  signs 
of  disintegration. 

The  wooden  houses  are  worse,  being  mainly  vicious 
and  exaggerated  copies  of  some  of  the  worst  of  the  con- 
structions in  the  European  settlements,  or  illustrations 


ARCHITECTURAL  INCONGRUITIES. 


191 


of  ideas  imported  from  Denver  or  Virginia  City.  Crack- 
ing, warping,  and  shrinking,  ill-concealed  by  a coating 
of  white  paint  or  plaster,  are  obvious  on  many  new 
buildings,  and  most,  from  the  fragile  materials  used 
and  the  hasty  mode  of  erection,  are  already  in  want  of 
repair.  Much  money  has  been  spent  on  the  public 
buildings,  most  have  some  pretension  to  architecture, 
and  are  supposed  to  be  improvements  on  Japanese  con- 
struction, and  it  is  really  a pity  that  the  Government, 
which  means  well,  has  not  been  better  advised.  In 
truth,  the  Anglo-American  architecture,  which  is  daily 
gaining  ground  in  Tdkiyo,  and  is  being  copied  by  the 
provincial  capitals,  means  the  union  of  the  cold  and  dis- 
comfort of  Japanese  houses  with  the  ugliness  and  dis- 
comfort of  third-rate  suburban  villas  in  America.  In 
public  buildings  it  means  the  abandonment  of  the  sim- 
ple grandeur  of  the  massive,  curved  roof,  with  its  deep, 
picturesque  eaves,  and  carefully  moulded  corner  and 
terminal  tiles,  the  shady  verandahs,  the  carved  scrolls 
of  the  grand  entry,  the  imposing  arrangement  of  rafters, 
the  solid  and  decorated  panels,  and  the  general  combina- 
tion of  strength  and  airiness,  light  and  shade,  dignity 
and  simplicity,  which  are  seen  in  perfection  in  the 
Gosh8  at  Kiy8to  and  in  some  of  the  yashikis  at  T8kiy8, 
in  favour  of  buildings  which  possess  size  without  maj- 
esty, with  layers  of  white  plaster  or  paint  hiding  a badly 
put-together  framework  of  wood,  suggestive  of  the 
pastry-cook’s  art,  with  shallow  roofs,  unshaded  windows 
in  scores,  tawdry  porches,  an  absence  of  verandahs,  and 
a general  flatness  of  inexpressive  physiognomy  terrible 
to  behold,  nothing  in  the  style  of  the  tawdry  and 
ephemeral-looking  erections  affording  the  slightest  clue 
to  the  purpose  for  which  they  were  originally  built  and 
are  at  present  used.  As  examples  of  this  modern  con- 
structive art,  it  is  only  necessary  to  mention  as  among 


192 


UNBEATEN  TBACKS  IN  JAPAN. 


the  best  the  Imperial  University,  and  as  ordinary  speci 
mens,  the  buildings  which  conceal  the  present  residence 
of  the  Mikado,  and  the  police  stations  all  over  Tokiyo. 

It  is  singular  that  the  Japanese,  who  rarely  ci)mmit  a 
solecism  in  taste  in  their  national  costume,  arcin’  tecture, 
or  decorative  art,  seem  to  be  perfectly  destitute  of  per^ 
ception  when  they  borrow  ours.  Their  tasteless,  Amer* 
icauised  structures,  and  the  “ loud,”  gaudy,  “ tapestry  ” 
carpets  which  they  lay  down  on  the  floors  of  their  pub- 
lic buildings  when  they  relinquish  their  own  beautiful 
mats,  are  instances  in  point. 

Among  the  most  noteworthy  of  the  new  and  old 
buildings  which  distingnish  T6kiy8,  and  show  the  ad- 
vance which  Japan  is  making  in  civilisation,  education, 
and  philanthropy,  are  the  Imperial  University,  the 
Medical,  Naval,  and  Military  Schools,  the  Imperial  Col- 
lege of  Engineering,  which  is  really  a technical  xmiver- 
sity,  the  Paper  Money  “ Mint,”  the  Normal  School  for 
girls,  endowed  by  the  Empress,  the  Military,  Naval,  and 
Kak'ke  Hospitals,  the  Post  Office,  Telegraph  Office,  and 
Railway  Terminus,  besides  Government  Offices  and  De- 
partments too  numerous  to  mention. 

The  glory  and  pride  of  Japanese  educational  institu- 
tions is  the  Imperial  College  of  Engineering,  and  the 
Japanese  m.T}^  justly  be  proud  of  it,  for  it  is  not  only  the 
finest  model']!  building  in  Japan,  worth}'  to  take  a hum- 
ble place  beside  the  Cara  or  Isis  — academical  in  its 
aspects,  noble  in  its  proportions,  suited  for  its  purpose, 
and  placed  in  an  elevated  and  commanding  position  — 
but,  in  the  opinion  of  many  competent  judges,  is  the 
most  complete  and  best  equipped  engineering  college  in 
the  world,  and  destined  shortly  to  make  Japan,  as  she 
ought  to  be,  entirely  indepeiident  of  foreigners  for  the 
carrying  out  of  the  great  projects  of  improvement  on 
which  her  future  progress  depends.  To  a Japanese 


THE  ENGINEERING  COLLEGE.  19^ 

miucl  this  stately  building  is  the  embodiment  and  apoth- 
eosis of  material  progress,  the  god  of  every  educated 
Japanese.  This  shrine  of  progress  consists  of  an  impos- 
ing arrangement  of  stone-faced  brick  buildings  in  a 
mixed  Tudor  style,  forming  three  sides  of  a handsome 
and  spacious  quadrangle. 

The  college  buildings  contain  a library  and  common 
hall  of  ecclesiastical  as  well  as  academical  appearance,  a 
general  lecture  hall,  class-rooms,  chemical  demonstra- 
tion rooms,  secretary’s  office.  Principal’s  and  Professors’ 
rooms,  class  anterooms,  general  drawing-office,  engineer- 
ing drawing-office,  surveying  drawing-office,  boiler- 
house,  mining  lecture  and  demonstration  rooms,  archi- 
tectural drawing-office,  printing-office,  natural  philoso- 
phy instrument  room,  natural  philosophy  laboratories 
and  demonstration  rooms,  museum,  dormitories,  kitch- 
ens, chemical  laboratory,  engineering  laboratory,  metal- 
lurgical laboratory.  Professors’  houses,  telegraph  and 
mineralogical  museums,  and  two  or  three  other  minor 
departments. 

No  expense  has  been  or  is  spared  upon  the  equip- 
ments of  this  magnificent  college.  Whatever  other  in- 
stitutions are  starved,  it  gets  whatever  Principal  Dyer 
chooses  to  ask.  Its  museum,  illustrative  of  civil  and 
mechanical  engineering,  is  a superb  one,  and  it  is  said 
that  no  similar  school  in  the  world  possesses  a collection 
of  models  at  once  so  accurate  in  their  construction,  or 
so  valuable  for  teaching  purposes.  The  Telegraph  and 
Mineralogical  Museums  are  equally  carefully  arranged, 
and  not  only  do  concise  and  admirable  catalogues  ac- 
company each  museum,  but  descriptions  are  given  with 
each  model  and  instrument,  which  convey  the  leading 
idea  of  its  construction  and  utility  in  the  smallest  pos- 
sible space.  To  the  non-scientific  visitor  the  museum 
of  Japanese  products,  manufacturers,  and  models  of 


194 


unb:eaten  tbacks  in  japan. 


Japanese  machinery,  though  by  no  means  as  complete 
as  it  ought  to  be  and  'will  be,  is  the  most  interesting  of 
all,  and  year  by  year,  as  the  old  style  of  things  disap- 
pears, will  gain  in  value,  and  in  time  may  come  to  be 
the  only  place  in  which  the  Japanese  of  the  future  can 
study  the  former  industries  of  his  country,  and  the 
simple  methods  by  which  great  results  were  obtained. 

This  college  is  under  the  ministry  of  Public  Works. 
Principal  Dyer,  who  has  made  it  what  it  is,  is  intensely 
a Scotchman,  and  not  only  very  able  in  his  owm  profes- 
sion, but  a man  of  singular  force,  energy,  and  power  of 
concentration,  with  a resolute  and  indomitable  will. 
He  is  felt  in  the  details  of  every  department  of  the 
College,  and  combines  practical  sagacity  with  a large 
amount  of  well-directed  enthusiasm.  It  is  said  that  of 
the  foreign  teachers  in  Japanese  employment  he  is  tlie 
one  whose  resolute  independence  and  determination  to 
carry  out  his  own  plans  in  his  own  way  have  been  re- 
spected by  the  Government,  and  I venture  to  predict 
that  he  will  be  the  last  one  whose  services  will  be  dis- 
pensed with.  His  highly-efficient  teaching  staff  con- 
sists of  nine  English  professors,  with  several  qualified 
Japanese  assistants,  all  working  energetically ; and 
among  the  former  have  been  and  are  several  men  who 
have  thrown  themselves  heartily  into  different  depa.t- 
ments  of  Japanese  study.  The  discipline  and  tone  of 
the  College  leave  little  to  be  desired.  A fine  spirit 
pervades  the  students,  and  it  seems  that  the  only  com- 
plaint made  by  their  teachers  is  that  it  is  difficidt  to 
make  them  understand  the  necessity  for  recreation. 

Classes  are  held  in  English  language  and  literature, 
technical  draAving,  mathematics,  natural  philosophy, 
chemistry,  engineering,  telegraphic  engineermg,  me- 
chanical engineering,  architecture,  mineralogy,  geology, 
mining,  and  metallurgy,  with  branches  under  several 


THE  MUSEUMS. 


195 


of  these  heads.  The  course  lasts  six  years,  and  a con- 
siderable part  of  it  is  occupied  with  practical  instruc- 
tion at  the  well-equipped  works  at  Akaband,  the  largest 
mechanical  engineering  establishment  in  Japan,  where 
all  sorts  of  engines  and  mechanical  appliances  are 
turned  out.  The  enlightened  system  of  education 
which  is  pursued  is  supplemented  by  a very  valuable 
and  always  increasing  library,  containing  over  13,000 
volumes,  mostly  on  technical  subjects,  and  by  a reading- 
room  liberally  supplied  with  periodicals. 

The  question  arises.  What  is  to  be  done  with  the  fifty 
“masters  in  engineering”  who  hereafter  will  be  turned 
out  annually  by  what  is  usually  termed  by  foreigners 
“ Mr.  Dyer’s  college,”  and  how  is  work  to  be  provided 
for  them  iu  a country  which  has  overspent  itself,  and  is 
obliged  to  economise  ? Japan  cherishes  visions  of  costly 
engineering  undertakings  of  all  kinds,  but  these  are  ex- 
pensive, and  in  her  present  temper  she  intends  not  only 
not  to  contract  any  new  debts,  but  to  pay  off  the  old. 
Mr.  Dyer  would  reply  that  his  business  is  to  turn  out 
competent  engineers,  and  not  to  forecast  their  future, 
and  I pass  from  the  subject  in  the  hope  of  an  era  of 
remunerative  improvements. 

Museums  are  worthily  occupying  the  attention  of  the 
Government.  The  Kaitakushi  Department  has  a collec- 
tion of  objects  imperfectly  illustrating  the  industries 
and  mode  of  living  of  the  Ainos  in  its  museum  in 
Shiba,  and  the  National  Museum  eontains  objects  of 
variety  and  beauty  the  like  of  which  are  not  to  be 
found  anywhere  else,  and  whieh,  had  they  not  been  pur- 
chased by  the  nation,  would  have  passed  into  the  hands 
of  foreign  connoisseurs.  Many  of  the  creations  of  an- 
cient art  which  are  arranged  in  Uyeno  are  unique  and 
priceless,  and  the  authorities  deserve  great  credit  for 
the  extent,  value,  and  arrangement  of  this  museum 


196 


UNBEATEN  TBACKS  IN  JAPAN. 


The  last  building  which  I notice  is  the  Telegi’aph 
Building,  opened  in  March  1878,  under  the  auspices  of 
Mr.  Gilbert,  the  chief  superintendent.  The  whole  tele 
graph  system  of  Japan  is  now  worked  by  native  officials, 
foreigners  having  been  dispensed  with  in  the  summer 
of  last  year.  This  building,  though  in  the  vicious  Euro- 
peanised style,  is  well  arranged  for  its  objects,  its  lower 
floor  being  occupied  by  reception-rooms,  offices,  and  a 
broad  counter  for  messages,  and  nearly  the  whole  of 
the  upper  by  an  operating-room,  to  which  the  messages 
are  conveyed  in  a lift.  The  Morse  instruments,  includ- 
ing “ sounders,”  are  used  for  ordinary  messages,  and  on 
short  local  lines  Wheatstone’s  alphabetical  instruments, 
specially  arranged  for  recording  the  Roman  alphabet  and 
Japanese  syllabary.  Part  of  this  room  is  taken  up  by 
a test-box  and  a test-hoard,  which  accommodates  eighty 
circuits,  into  which  the  wires  from  all  Japan  are  led. 
and  another  part  by  a time-transmitter  and  regulator 
clock,  whereby  the  telegraphic  time  all  over  Japan  is 
adjusted  daily.  In  another  room  batteries  with  a thou- 
sand cells  are  kept  upon  tables.  A telephone  connected 
with  the  Engineering  College  for  experimental  purposes 
is  the  latest  instance  of  the  eagerness  vdth  which  the 
Japanese  are  appropriating  foreign  inventions.  The 
jNIorse  instruments,  test-box,  time-transmitter,  and  every- 
tliing  for  out  and  indoor  use,  except  wire,  are  made  by 
Japanese  in  the  workshops  of  the  Telegraph  Depart- 
ment, and  the  instruments,  for  delicacy  of  finish  and 
accuracy,  are  said  to  bear  comparison  with  any  which 
are  manufactured  in  Europe.  The  manipulators  there 
and  elsewhere  are  Japanese,  and  they  have  proved  such 
apt  scholars  that  they  manage  their  telegraph  system 
with  a carefulness  and  accuracy  wluch  allow  of  no  hos- 
tile criticism. 

In  truth,  Tokiyo  is  a wonderful  city  of  enterprise 


FOREIGN  RESIDENTS. 


197 


and  bustle,  the  focus  of  the  new  order  of  things,  not 
only  the  seat  of  a Government  of  singular  capacity  and 
activity,  but  the  headquarters  of  an  education  which 
is  revolutionising  Japan.  Doctors,  schoolmasters,  and 
engineers  are  being  dispersed  from  it  over  the  Empire, 
who  not  only  carry  with  them  a new  education,  medi- 
cine, and  science,  but  new  ideas  of  government,  phil 
osophy,  and  the  position  of  women,  as  well  as  the 
pushing,  progressive,  T6kiy8  spirit  of  unmitigated  ma- 
terialism. It  must  be  observed  that  the  education  and 
stimulation  of  the  brain  are  carried  on  with  little  refer- 
ence to  man’s  moral  nature,  and  that  distortion  of  one 
part  of  his  being  and  dwarfing  of  another  must  be  the 
sure  result.  In  addition,  the  indirect,  and  in  some 
cases  the  direct,  influence  of  some  of  the  foreign 
teachers  has  been  against  Christianity,  and  in  favour 
of  materialism.  The  new  education  lays  “ the  axe  to 
the  root  of  the  tree  ” of  the  old  cultus  and  beliefs,  sub- 
stituting nothing.  Probably  there  is  scarcely  an  atheism 
so  blank,  or  a materialism  so  complete,  on  earth  as  that 
of  the  educated  modern  Japanese. 

Of  the  foreigners  in  Japanese  Government  employ- 
ment the  greater  number  are  in  TokiyQ.  They  are 
allowed  to  live  anywhere  outside  the  dreary  limits  of 
Tsukiji,  and  they  form  a society  among  themselves,  mix- 
ing but  little  with  the  colony  of  missionaries  in  the 
Concession.  Their  number  decreases,  for  the  Govern- 
ment parts  with  them  as  soon  as  it  thinks  that  Japanese 
can  fill  their  places,  and  the  constant  changes  among 
them  are  unfavourable  to  the  pleasantest  kind  of  social 
intercourse.  The  most  recent  clearance  has  been  at  the 
Naval  College,  where  only  two  of  the  English  staff,  and 
those  not  in  the  College  proper,  have  been  retained. 
Many  of  them  apply  themselves  with  praiseworthy 
assiduity  to  the  study  of  the  Japanese  language,  and  of 


198 


UNBEATEN  TRACKS  IN  JAPAN. 


special  subjects  connected  with  Japan,  and  theii  dili 
gence  bears  good  fruit  in  papers  of  great  and  perma 
nent  interest  contributed  by  them  to  the  English  and 
German  Asiatic  Societies,  both  of  which  hold  regular 
meetings  in  Tokiyo.  Those  who  merely  teach,  and  hold 
a.oof  from  Japanese  interests,  must  have  rather  a “dull 
time,”  and  the  ladies,  very  few  of  whom  interest  them- 
selves in  anything  Japanese  except  curios,  must  be 
duller  still. 

The  capital,  as  one  of  the  three  imperial  cities  or  Fu, 
has  a local  jurisdiction,  and  a governor,  assisted  by  a 
large  staff.  The  present  Governor,  Masakata  Kusu- 
moto,  is  the  one  who  cleansed  and  renovated  Eiigata, 
and  under  his  vigorous  administration  order  and  clean- 
liness reign  in  T6kiy8,  though  the  number  of  robberies 
on  winter  nights  retains  formidable  proportions  in  spite 
of  nearly  6000  polieemen.  There  are  no  beggars,  and 
there  is  no  quarter  given  up  to  poverty  and  squalor,  or 
poverty  and  squalor  in  combination  with  crime,  and  fes- 
tering centres  of  misery  of  any  kind  are  not  to  be 
found.  Vice,  though  legalised,  is  prohibited  from  dis- 
playing its  seductions  in  the  ordinary  streets,  the  resorts 
of  the  dissolute  being  confined  to  special  quarters  of 
the  city. 

Over  10,000  cavalry,  infantry,  and  artillery  are  quar- 
tered in  Tokiy8,  but  these  are  more  likely  to  prove  a 
source  of  difficulty  than  of  strength.  Large  numbers 
are  recruited  from  the  heimin  or  lowest  class,  and  the 
uncouthness  of  their  bucolic  faces  contrasts  with  the 
intelligence  of  those  of  the  policemen,  who  are  mostly 
samurai.  On  daj's  when  large  numbers  of  them  get 
leave,  they  are  to  be  seen  staggering  about  the  streets 
in  a state  of  intoxication,  creating  a disorder  which  is 
as  rare  m Tokijm  as  in  any  other  Japanese  city. 

The  paucity  of  horse  vehicles,  where  horses  are 


FOBMS  OF  FLATTERY. 


199 


abundant  and  roads  are  excellent,  is  a curious  fact.  In 
the  Official  Quarter  a few  carriages  are  to  be  seen,  and 
on  one  street  clumsy  vans,  drawn  by  contemptible 
ponies,  run  as  omnibuses,  but  elsewhere  one  may  walk 
about  week  after  week  without  seeing  anything  but 
kurumas  or  man-carts  and  coolies,  and  coolies  and  pack- 
horses  are  used  for  the  transport  of  all  goods  which 
cannot  be  convejmd  by  canal.  It  is  not  unusual  to  see 
100  men  carrying  a log  of  felled  and  squared  timber,  or 
a stone  of  enormous  size.  There  are  over  23,000  kuru- 
mas ; their  number  is  rapidly  increasing,  and  they  are 
used  by  everybody  as  the  handiest  means  of  abbreviat- 
ing the  “ magnificent  distances  ” of  the  city. 

TOkiyO  is  the  centre  of  the  publishing  trade,  and 
nearly  every  trade  and  manufacture  in  Japan  is  more 
or  less  represented  there.  I will  notice  but  one.  In 
several  passages  in  the  previous  letters  melancholy 
allusions  have  been  made  to  certain  imitations,  which, 
though  they  may  be  “the  sincerest  form  of  flattery,” 
are  also  the  most  impertinent  form  of  swindling.  Of 
the  manufacture  of  forged  labels  and  imitative  com- 
pounds of  the  most  nauseous  or  unwholesome  descrip- 
tion Tfikiyo  is  the  centre,  and  it  has  reduced  systematic 
forgery  to  a trade.  Nor  is  this  iniquity  confined  to 
back  slums  and  holes  and  corners,  but  it  is  carried  on 
in  the  face  of  day  at  unscreened  windows,  where  presses 
may  be  seen  at  work  imitating  the  English  Government 
Inland  Revenue  stamp.  Dr.  Collis  Browne’s  signature, 
or  the  attractive  label  of  “ Preston’s  Sugar  of  Lemons,” 
or  the  tempting  cover  of  the  “ Ramornie  ” meat  tins,  the 
“ Eagle  Brand,”  Bass’s  “ Red  Diamond  ” label,  etc.,  for- 
tunately not  always  with  that  strict  attention  to  Eng- 
lish orthography  which  would  render  the  deception 
complete.  It  is  complete  enough,  however,  for  the 
unfortunate  Japanese  victims,  and  from  Nagasaki  to 


200 


UNBEATEN  TRACKS  IN  JAPAN. 


Hakodate  spurious  eatables,  driukables,  and  mediciuea 
are  sold,  dealing  sickness  with  a liberal  hand,  intro- 
ducing delirium  tremens  and  other  woes  where  thej’ 
were  previously  unknown,  and  turning  innocent  into 
“ deadly  things.”  I write  feelingly,  as  a sufferer  from  an 
evil  compoimd,  supposed  to  consist  of  soap,  vitriol,  oil 
of  lemons,  and  sugar,  sold  for  that  best  of  all  refreshiog 
drinks,  “ Preston’s  Sugar  of  Lemons.”  Elsewhere,  a 
perfumer,  who  aspires  to  be  the  Rimmel  of  Japan,  bot- 
tles aggressively  nauseous  odours  in  Rimmel’s  and  Fa- 
rina’s bottles,  adroitly  imitating  even  the  seal  or  capsule, 
and  “ Pears’  Soap  ” appears  as  a scarifying  compound, 
admirable  possibly  as  “ a counter-irritant.”  Again,  men 
may  be  seen  industriously  filling  Bass’s  bottles  from 
casks  of  native  beer,  and  Guinness’s  with  the  same  beer 
coloured  with  liquorice  and  refuse  treacle.  Are  we  to 
class  these  forgeries  as  among  the  signs  of  manufactur- 
ing progress  in  Japan? 

Tokiyo  is  a stronghold  of  amusement  and  pleasure, 
as  well  as  of  politics,  education,  and  business,  but  its 
theatres,  geishas,  wrestlers,  jugglers,  and  other  diver- 
sions have  been  so  minutely  described  by  other  writers, 
that  I gladly  let  them  alone  in  favour  of  the  Flower 
festa  of  the  different  seasons,  which  are  among  the  most 
attractive  sights  of  the  capital.  The  well-tended  gar- 
dens of  the  suburbs,  with  their  stiffly-cHpped  hedges, 
the  back  plots  a few  feet  square,  with  their  gardens  in 
miniature,  even  in  the  most  crowded  streets,  or  perhaps 
pots  alone,  with  flowering  plants,  as  regularly  changed 
in  their  succession  as  those  in  the  balconies  of  houses 
in  Belgravia,  attest  that  love  of  the  beauties  of  nature, 
which  is  one  of  the  most  pleasing  features  of  the 
Japanese  character,  and  which  finds  its  more  sys- 
tematic gratification  in  resorting  to  special  places  where 
special  flowers  are  to  be  seen  in  their  glory.  In  Febrii- 


FLORAL  CURIOSITIES. 


201 


ary,  when  the  Japanese  plum  tree,  with  its  crowded 
blossoms,  chiefly  varying  from  those  of  our  apricot  in 
size  and  variety  of  shape  and  colour,  is  iu  perfection, 
crowds  go  out  to  Kam^do  and  Omurai  on  the  river,  and 
to  Tabata  — places  distinguished  for  the  number  and 
beauty  of  these  trees.  This  is  only  a foretaste  of  the 
festival  in  April,  when  Japan  is  at  its  best,  and  tlie  win- 
ter, especially  dreaded  by  the  Japanese,  is  forgotten,  and 
the  different  varieties  of  the  cherry,  the  pride  of  the 
flowering  trees,  are  in  their  beauty.  Then  all  Tokiyo, 
in  holiday  costume,  flocks  to  the  hill  plateau  of  Aska- 
yama,  to  Odsi,  and  especially  to  Uyeno,  which  has  the 
aspect  of  a fair  for  two  or  three  weeks.  Numbers  of 
temporary  tea-houses  are  constructed  of  bamboo,  and 
are  decorated  with  flags  and  lanterns,  and  dainties,  toys, 
and  confectionery  are  everywhere  sold,  girls  and  chil- 
dren sing  and  dance  ; but  the  beauty  of  the  cherry  blos- 
soms is  the  soul  of  the  festival,  and  all  day  long  crowds 
of  all  ages  throng  tlie  park,  luxuriating  with  genuine 
enjoyment  in  the  delight  of  tlie  “ cherry  viewing,”  and 
sipping  tea  and  cherry-blossom  water. 

In  June  the  wistaria  festival  is  held,  and  thousands 
of  people  visit  Kamddo,  where  bowers  of  this  trailer, 
with  pendent  clusters  of  blossoms,  surround  a piece  of 
water,  and  amidst  feasting,  singing,  and  music,  verses 
in  praise  of  its  beauty  are  written  on  slips  of  paper  and 
are  hung  upon  the  boughs.  The  “ iris  viewing  ” shortly 
follows,  when  the  ponds  and  flower-beds  of  Hari  Kiri 
are  glorious  with  irises  of  the  loveliest  colours,  and 
again  pleasure-loving  Tokiyo  creates  a vast  picnic,  and 
crowds  the  garden  suburb  of  Mukdjima  by  the  river ; 
and  boats,  gay  with  flags  in  the  daytime,  and  with  lan- 
terns at  night,  tlu’ong  the  broad  stream,  and  the  river- 
side roads  are  cheery  with  groups  bound  to  the  bowers 
and  tea-houses  of  the  iris  gardens.  The  “ Festival  of 


202 


UNBEATEN  TRACKS  IN  JAPAN. 


the  Chrysanthemums  ” in  October,  one  of  the  five  great 
national  festivals  of  Japan,  has  several  centres,  and  the 
imperial  flower  is  nowhere  seen  in  greater  perfection 
than  in  TOkiyO. 

Perpetual  floral  attractions  of  a very  curious  kind 
are  offered  by  the  “ art  gardeners  ” of  Sugamo  and 
Somei,  pleasant  suburbs,  and  in  Dango  Saka,  where  the 
tea-house  grounds  and  gardens  are  always  crowded  with 
holiday-making  guests.  Except  in  the  gardens  of  the 
Buddhist  monastery  of  Hang-tse  in  China,  I have  never 
seen  anytliing  approaching  in  singularity  to  these  pro- 
ductions, but  the  gardeners  of  TokiyS  are  far  more  dar- 
ing than  the  monks.  Bushes  and  shrubs  cut  into  the 
life-size  resemblances  of  men  and  women,  are  equipped 
with  faces  of  painted  wood  or  paper,  the  clothes,  fans, 
or  weapons  being  formed  of  carefully  trained  leaves  and 
flowers,  which  fall  in  artistic  draperies  of  delightfully 
harmonised  colours.  In  one  scene  a tree  represents  a 
monster  fan,  two  others  a bridge  with  a ship  passing 
underneath  it,  then  a landscape  with  a picnic  and  a set- 
ting sun  of  gold-coloured  chrysanthemums  is  wonder- 
fully executed.  Chinese  women  walldng,  and  animals, 
specially  hares  and  rabbits,  are  also  represented  by  this 
singular  art.  Scenes  from  well-known  plays  are  the 
most  enduringly  popular  of  all  these  scenes,  and  one  of 
the  mythic  heroes  of  Japan,  shown  m combat  with  an 
eight-headed  monster,  wliile  thedad}*  for  whom  he  is 
fighting  sits  apart,  clothed  in  red,  yellow,  and  white 
chrysanthemums,  the  whole  forming  a landscape  over 
thirty  feet  long,  is  always  the  centre  of  joyous  crowds 
in  late  October,  when  the  sun  is  warm  and  the  air  is 
still. 

It  would  be  treachery  to  many  delicious  memories 
were  I to  omit  to  sa}''  that  Fuji,  either  as  a cone  of 
dazzling  snow,  or  rosy  in  the  autumn  sunrise,  or  as  a 


COSTLY  ENTEBTAINMENTS. 


203 


lofty  spiritual  presence  far  off  in  a veil  of  mist,  or  pur- 
ple against  the  sunset  gold,  is  one  of  the  great  sights  of 
TOkiyO.  Even  of  Shiba,  that  dream  of  beauty,  among 
whose  groves  the  city  hum  is  unheard,  one  might  weary, 
but  of  Fuji  never,  and  as  time  goes  on,  he  becomes  an 
infatuating  personality,  which  raises  one  above  the  mo- 
notonous clatter  and  the  sordid  din  of  mere  material 
progress.  One  vision  of  Fuji  I shall  never  forget. 
After  spending  an  afternoon  alone  among  the  crowds 
which  throng  the  great  temple  of  Kwan-non  at  Asakusa, 
as  I turned  a corner  at  dusk  to  go  down  a hill,  my 
kuruma-v\mx\e.v  looked  round  and  said,  “Fuji!”  and  I 
saw  a glory  such  as  I had  not  seen  before  in  Japan. 
The  heavens  behind  and  overhead  were  dark  and  cov- 
ered with  clouds,  but  in  front  there  was  a clear  sky  of 
pure,  pale  green,  into  winch  the  huge  cone  of  Fuji  rose 
as  a mass  of  ruddy  purple,  sublime,  colossal,  while  above 
the  green,  which  was  streaked  with  some  lines  of  pure 
vermilion,  the  clouds  were  a sea  of  rippling  rose-colour, 
and  in  the  darkness  below,  at  the  foot  of  a solemn, 
tree-covered  embankment,  lay  the  castle  moat,  a river 
of  molten  gold,  giving  light  in  the  gloom.  Actual  dark- 
ness came  on,  and  still  Fuji  rose  in  purple  into  the  fad- 
ing sky,  lingering  in  his  glory,  and  never,  wliile  the 
earth  and  heavens  last,  will  just  the  same  sight  be  seen 
again. 

One  of  the  most  recent  phases  of  Tokiyo  ha&  been  the 
sort  of  craze  it  has  taken  for  givuig  extravagant  enter- 
tainments to  guests.  The  Government  and  the  people 
have  gone  wild  on  the  subject,  and  poor,  and  burdened 
with  debt  and  taxation  as  the  nation  is,  it  is  a matter 
for  regret  that  a course  of  such  decidedly  “ unremuner- 
ative  ” expenditure  should  have  been  entered  upon. 
Mr.  E.  J.  Reed,  M.P.,  was  the  first  guest  of  the  series, 
and  he  has  been  followed  by  General  Grant,  a grandson 


204 


UNBEATEN  TRACKS  IN  JAPAN. 


of  Queen  Victoria,  Prince  Henry  of  Prussia,  and  the 
Duke  of  Genoa.  In  addition  to  the  sums  expended  by 
Government,  TOkiyO  spent  $50,000  in  entertaining 
General  Grant,  and  the  entertainment  given  to  him  in 
the  hall  and  grounds  of  the  Engineering  College  was 
one  of  the  most  successful /etes  ever  seen  in  the  capital, 
owing  to  the  number  and  beauty  of  the  lanterns  used 
for  illumination.  All  this  is  very  modern  and  “pro- 
gressive.” 

Whatever  else  may  or  may  not  be  seen  or  enjoyed,  the 
sus-t  life  of  TOkiyO  is  an  inexhaustible  source  of  pleas- 
ure. The  middle  and  lower  classes  have  an  outdoorish- 
ness  and  visibility  about  them  which  offer  a thousand 
points  of  interest.  The  shop  life,  the  canal  life,  the 
child  life,  TokiyS  on  wheels,  on  foot,  and  under  umbrel- 
las, the  crowds  and  their  unvarying  good  temper  and 
good  behaviour,  the  flower  festivals,  the  fetes.,  the  mat- 
suri  with  their  processions,  the  cheerful  funerals,  the 
throngs  in  the  popular  temples,  the  picnics,  the  water 
processions  by  day  and  night,  the  perpetual  illumina- 
tion with  coloured  lanterns,  the  quaint  incongruities, 
the  changing  and  shifting,  the  abundance  of  movement, 
the  ceaseless  industry,  the  personal  independence  and 
liberty  enjoyed  by  all  classes  shown  by  a demeanour 
neither  servile  nor  self-assertive,  the  tiny  houses  and 
doll-like  women,  the  old  and  the  new  mingling  in  a city 
no  part  of  wliich  is  more  than  three  centuries  old,  form 
a series  of  separate  and  combined  pictures,  which  at 
once  bewilder  and  fascinate. 

Banks,  a Chamber  of  Commerce,  dispensaries,  exhi 
bition  buildings,  newspaper  and  telegraph  offices,  a rail- 
way station,  steamboat  offices,  photograpMc  galleries, 
and  powder  magazines,  are  all  essential  features  of  the 
new  capital. 

Truly  Yedo,  the  City  of  the  Shoguns,  is  no  more.  A 


THE  BRAIN  OF  NEW  JAFAN. 


205 


city  of  camps,  “ the  necessity  of  feudalism,”  it  perished 
with  the  old  rSgime^  to  be  born  again  as  a city  of  busi- 
ness, politics,  amusement,  bustle,  energy,  and  progress. 
TokiyO,  the  city  of  the  future,  is  the  brain  of  New 
Japan,  but  Kiyoto,  the  historic  capital,  the  home  of  art 
and  poetry,  must  remain  its  heart. 


UNBEATEN  TRACKS  IN  JAPAN. 


POT. 


A JAPANESE  CONCERT. 

A “Dirty  Sky”  — “Bags” — Mr.  Mori  — A Ministerial  Enteitain 
ment  — The  “Shiba  Pavilion” — An  Amateur  Orchestra  — The 
Japanese  Wagner  — An  Aristocratic  Belle  — A Juvenile  Danseuse 
— An  Agonising  Mystery  — The  “ Dead  March  ” in  Saul — Japan- 
ese Music  — Musical  Instraments  — Lady  Parkes. 

H.B.M.’s  Legation,  Yedo,  October  11. 

The  weather  produces  a lassitude  which  makes  let- 
ter-writing difficult.  Every  now  and  then  a bright,  hot 
day  occurs,  but  usually  it  rains  as  it  has  been  raining 
for  weeks  past,  and  the  sailor's  phrase,  “a  dirty  sky,”  is 
the  only  one  which  describes  the  dull  brown  clouds  and 
stagnant  brown  mists.  The  mercury  hovers  about  80°, 
the  air  is  quite  still,  and  stillness  and  heat  together 
make  one  expect  a thunderstorm,  which  never  comes ; 
but  instead  we  have  had  a smart  shock  of  earthquake, 
which  seemed  equally  suitable  to  the  weather.  Everj'- 
thing  is  moist  or  sticky,  boots  mildew  four  hours  after 
they  have  been  blacked,  writing-paper  has  to  be  dried 
near  a charcoal  brazier  before  it  is  used,  soap  jellifies, 
ink  turns  mouldy,  appetite  for  solid  food  entirely  fails, 
every  one  is  more  or  less  ailing.  Sir  Harry,  m uch  worn 
out,  has  gone  to  Hakone,  Lady  Parkes,  who  has  been 
suffering  from  intermittent  fever,  has  gone  to  Yoko- 
hama, and  Mr.  Chamberlain,  the  two  children,  “ Rags,” 
and  I,  are  all  feeble.  “ Rags  ” takes  very  little  notice 
of  me  when  his  own  people  are  here,  but  now  he  is 
most  attentive  to  me,  lies  by  my  chair,  sleeps  on  mv 


MB.  MOBI. 


207 


hearthrug  at  night,  assumes  a very  cordial  manner,  and 
expects  me  to  feed  him  and  attend  to  his  comfort.  Mr. 
Chamberlain  has  been  here  for  a fortnight,  which  has 
been  a great  pleasure  to  me,  m only  because  he  is  an 
excellent  cicerone.,  but  because  he  is  such  a thorough 
lover  of  Japan,  as  well  as  a Japanese  student,  and  is 
never  bored  by  being  asked  any  number  of  questions, 
even  though  many  of  them  are  trivial  and  unintelligent. 
I have  been  utilising  the  bad  weather  by  studying  sev- 
eral volumes  of  the  Japan  Weekly  Mail.,  and  files  of  the 
Tokiyo  Times,  and  the  “ Transactions  ” of  the  Asiatic 
Society  for  several  years,  the  three  combined  being 
better  than  all  the  books  of  travels  put  together  for 
steeping  one  in  a Japanese  atmosphere. 

The  few  bright  days  have  been  very  bright,  and  like 
our  English  midsummer  (when  we  have  summer  at 
all).  On  one  of  the  brightest  we,  with  Miss  Gordon 
Gumming,  who  arrived  in  the  middle  of  September, 
went  to  an  afternoon  entertainment  given  to  the  diplo- 
matic body  in  the  Shiba  Pavilion,  one  of  the  Mikado’s 
smaller  palaces,  by  Mr.  Arenori  Mori,  Vice-minister  for 
foreign  affairs.^  Mr.  Mori  is  one  of  the  most  progres- 
sive of  Japanese  politicians,  and,  under  an  Oriental  des- 
potism, is  “an  advanced  Liberal.”  He  would  tolerate 
everything.  He  is  in  favour  of  “ Women’s  Rights ; ” he 
was  married  much  in  English  civil  fashion ; his  wife 
dresses  tastefully  in  English  style,  and  receives  his 
guests  along  with  himself ; he  regards  Shintd  only  as  a 
useful  political  engine,  and  has  even  formally  proposed 
the  adoption  of  the  English  language  in  Japan,  if  we 
would  agree  to  a phonetic  system  of  spelling.  He  was 
in  America  for  some  years,  speaks  English  tolerably 
well,  and,  unlike  most  of  his  countrymen,  knows  how 
to  wear  the  European  dress. 


1 Recently  appointed  Minister  to  England. 


208 


UNBEATEN  TBACKS  IN  JAPAN. 


He  received  us  at  the  door  of  the  Pavilion,  ar.  1 eon 
ducted  us  to  a room  where  nearly  the  whole  diplomatic 
corps  was  assembled ; the  Chinese  ministers  being  con- 
spi(mous  in  blue  silk  robes  with  squares  of  gold  em 
broidery  on  the  back  and  front,  long  amber  necklaces, 
and  white  hats  covered  with  crimson  fringe.  The  only 
costumes  besides  these  were  worn  by  two  young  Japan- 
ese ladies,  daughters  of  nobles,  who  looked  awkward 
and  timid  sitting  on  chairs  in  dark  silk  kinwnos  and 
very  thick  and  heavy  girdles.  The  room  consisted  of  a 
suite  of  rooms  in  Japanese  style,  thrown  open  to  the 
verandah,  and  looking  upon  a large  garden  very  beauti- 
fully laid  out,  bounded  on  the  sea  side  by  a massive 
stone  embankment,  which  is  concealed  from  the  house 
by  grass  mounds  and  trees.  This  very  attractive 
pleasure-ground  is  a dexterous  artificial  composition 
of  closely  shaven  lawns,  lakes  with  small  islands  and 
stone  bridges,  stone  lanterns,  shrubberies,  distorted 
pines,  and  flagged  and  gravelled  walks.  Not  a stray 
twig  or  leaf  was  visible,  and  the  walks  were  so  ex- 
quisitel}^  smooth  that  it  seemed  as  if  a lady's  train 
might  rudely  ruffle  them.  From  the  mounds  there  is 
a fine  view  of  the  Gulf  of  Yedo,  and  junks  and  fishing- 
boats  sail  within  a few  yards  of  the  garden  wall.  The 
house,  a very  simple  and  pretty  Japanese  building,  is 
Europeanised  by  a tawdry  Brussels  carpet,  black  and 
gold  lacquer  chairs,  and  black  and  gold  tables  with 
books  of  Japanese  pictures  upon  them. 

Tea  in  cups  with  handles  and  saucers  was  handed 
round  by  servants  in  black  dress  suits,  vdth  white  ties. 
The  diversion  pro\ided  was  a juggling  performance 
upon  mats  laid  on  the  lawn,  and  consisted  mainly  of 
clever  but  tedious  feats  of  balancing  balls,  cups,  sticks, 
and  vases,  vith  a drumming  accompaniment,  a gi'eat 
waste  of  time  and  skill.  There  was  an  interlude  of  a 


AMATEUR  ORCHESTRA. 


209 


fery  abundant  “ collation,”  with  all  sorts  of  food,  ice 
cream,  abundance  of  claret  cup,  champagne,  and  “miiit 
julep,”  serve  I on  a long  table,  with  about  twenty  wait- 
ers rustling  about  in  European  clothes.  The  china  was 
all  English,  and  not  pretty.  Mr.  Mori  complimented 
me  with  much  honhommie  on  my  “unprecedented  tour,” 
uid  remarked  that  people  rarely  travelled  in  Northern 
fapan.  After  more  juggling,  the  party  broke  up,  and  J 
regretted  the  loss  of  an  afternoon,  as  lost  it  was,  for 
this  entertainment  was  a mei’e  imitation  of  an  Eng- 
lish reception,  and  had  nothing  distinctively  Japanese 
about  it. 

A very  interesting  one  was  given  a few  days  after- 
wards by  Mr.  Satow,  in  his  beautiful  Japanese  house, 
the  furnishing  of  which  is  the  perfection  of  Japanese 
and  European  good  taste  and  simplicity.  The  draw- 
ing-room is  purely  Japanese,  with  ceiling  and  posts  of 
planed  wood,  walls  of  carefully  roughened  greenish 
grey  plaster,  a polished  alcove  and  fine  tatami.,  with 
here  and  there  a Persian  carpet  over  them  ; a rich, 
quiet-coloured  couch,  a few  chairs,  a solitary  table  with 
a lamp,  a stand  with  some  rare  books,  a very  few  bronze 
ornaments  and  some  fine  engravings,  and  flowers  in 
vases  hanging  on  the  walls,  completed  its  furnishing. 
There  were  only  the  two  English  Secretaries,  the  wife 
of  one  of  them,  and  myself.  The  little  dinner  was 
worthy  of  one  of  Disraeli’s  descriptions,  and  was  served 
by  noiseless  attendants  in  Japanese  dress.  Shortly 
after  we  went  to  the  drawing-room,  thirteen  gentle- 
men and  ladies  of  remarkably  dignified  and  refined 
appearance  entered  with  musical  instruments,  carried 
by  servants,  who  then  retired.  These  musicians  were 
an  amateur  orchestra  under  the  leadership  of  a Jap- 
anese composer,  who  aspires  to  be  the  Wagner  of 
Japan,  and  who  composed  the  music  with  which  the 
evening  was  occupied. 


210 


UNBEATEN  TRACKS  IN  JAPAN. 


The  orchestra  consisted  of  six  ladies,  two  of  whom 
were  elderly  widows,  and  six  men.  On  the  floor  were 
five  kotos,  each  one  six  feet  long.  A young  gii-l,  daugh- 
ter of  a noble  who  has  filled  several  high  official  posi- 
tions, played  on  a most  exquisitely  made  antique 
instrument,  called  the  shd,  formed  of  several  reeds 
beautifully  lacquered  in  gold,  banded  with  silver,  and 
set  in  a circular  box  of  fine  gold  lacquer.  This  needed 
to  be  constantly  warmed  at  a stand  of  rich  lacquer, 
containing  a charcoal  brazier.  The  girl  was  very 
pretty  for  a Japanese,  and  perfectly  bewitching  by 
the  dignified  grace  of  her  manner ; but  her  face  and 
throat  were  much  whitened  with  powder,  and  her 
lower  lip  was  patched  with  vermilion.  Her  “ evening 
dress  ” consisted  of  a kimono  of  soft,  bronze  green  silk, 
with  sleeves  hanging  nearly  to  her  ankles,  an  under 
vest,  showing  at  the  neck,  of  scarlet  crepe  splashed 
with  gold,  a girdle  of  yards  of  rich  silver  brocade 
made  into  a large  lump  at  the  back,  and  white  cloth 
socks.  She  wore  a large  chignon,  into  which  some 
scarlet  crepe  was  twisted,  a loop  of  hair  on  the  top  of 
her  head,  and  a heavy  tortoise-shell  pin  with  a branch 
of  pink  coral  at  one  end,  stuck  through  the  chignon. 
The  other  young  ladies  were  dressed  in  kimono  of  dark 
bluo  silk,  with  blue  girdles  brocaded  with  silver ; and 
the  two  elderly  widows  wore  dark  silk  kimono  and 
haori  of  the  same.  The  men  all  wore  silk  hakama 
and  haori. 

These  people  were  all  thoroughly  well-bred  J apanese. 
1 cannot  describe  the  grace,  dignity,  and  courtesy  of 
their  manners,  and  the  simple  kindliness  with  wliich 
they  exerted  themselves  on  our  behalf.  Their  demean- 
our was  altogether  natural,  and  it  was  most  interesting 
to  see  an  etiquette,  manner,  and  tone,  perfect  in  their 
way,  yet  not  in  the  slightest  particular  ffirmed  upon 
our  models. 


AN  ARISTOCRATIC  BELLE. 


21] 


Besides  this  very  interesting  orchestra,  there  was  a 
very  conspicuous  performer  in  the  shape  of  a child  of 
nine,  daughter  of  one  of  the  Mikado’s  chief  attend- 
ants, a being  of  unutterable  dignity  and  abstraction. 

“ It  was  neither  man  nor  woman, 

It  was  neither  brute  nor  human  ; ” 

but  most  certainly,  it  was  not  “ a ghoul,”  but  a female 
presence  trained  from  its  infancy  to  perfect  self-posses- 
sion, and  to  a complete  knowledge  of  the  etiquette  per- 
taining to  its  sex  and  age  — a little  princess,  the  out- 
come of  one  of  the  most  highly  artificial  syst.ems  of 
civilisation. 

Imagine  some  lamps  upon  the  floor,  with  the  orches- 
tra behind  them,  the  kotos  on  the  floor,  the  music  on 
lacquer  desks,  such  as  are  used  in  temples ; and  at  the 
other  end  of  the  room,  ourselves  lounging  in  easy 
chairs.  Into  the  open  space  between  us  this  being 
glided,  made  a profound  bow,  which,  like  the  bow  of 
royalty,  included  the  whole  company,  and  remained 
standing  like  a statue  till  the  music  recommenced. 
On  her  entrance  she  was  dressed  in  a kimono  of  rich 
striped  silk,  witli  a girdle  of  scarlet  brocade.  Her 
hair  was  divided  circularly,  and  the  centre  drawn  up 
in  loops,  mixed  mth  scarlet  crepe.,  and  secured  by  a 
gay  pin.  The  rest  hung  quite  straight  and  smooth 
behind  and  down  each  cheek,  while  the  front  was  cut 
straight  and  short  and  combed  down  to  her  eyebrows, 
much  in  the  style  of  a digger  Indian.  Her  face  was 
so  whitened  with  powder,  that  no  trace  of  “ complex- 
ion ” could  be  seen,  and  her  lower  lip  was  reddened. 
After  a short  time  she  returned  to  her  attendants,  who 
stood  in  the  lobby,  and  re-appeared  in  a kimono  of 
white  silk  eripe  and  hakama  of  scarlet  satin,  such  as 
the  Empress  wea.rs,  and  with  a fan  of  large  size  and 
extreme  beauty  in  her  hand. 


212 


UNBEATEN  TRACKS  IN  JAPAN. 


Again  the  instruments  wailed  and  screeched  forth 
their  fearful  discords,  and  the  miniature  court  lady 
entertained  us  with  two  prolonged  dances  illustrative 
of  the  music,  whicli  represented  the  four  seasons. 
Really,  the  performance  was  not  a dance  at  all,  but 
a series  of  dramatic  posturings  executed  with  faultless 
accuracy.  Much  use  was  made  of  the  fan,  the  little 
ligure  swayed  rhythmically,  and  the  feet,  though  they 
moved  but  little,  were  occasionally  used  to  stamp  an 
emphasis,  as  in  the  ancient  lyric  drama.  The  expres- 
sion of  the  face  never  changed ; it  might  have  been  a 
mask.  We  were  completely  ignored,  the  upturned  ej’es 
heeded  us  not,  the  training  was  perfect,  the  dramatic 
abstraction  complete.  The  perfect  self-possession  with 
which  this  little  “ princess  ” went  tlmough  the  dance 
was  most  remarkable,  and  the  bow  at  the  end,  which 
once  more  included  the  whole  audience,  was  a work  of 
art.  The  dignity  was  painful,  not  ludicrous.  I often 
wished  that  the  small  maiden  would  falter  a little,  or 
be  embarrassed,  or  show  some  consciousness  of  our 
presence.  Nor  when  it  was  over  and  she  had  re- 
ceived our  thanks,  was  there  the  slightest  relapse  into 
childhood.  Mr.  de  Saumarez,  who  is  passionately  fond 
of  Japanese  children,  vainly  tried  to  win  her  into 
friendliness,  but  she  scarce!}'  spoke ; she  was  abso- 
lutely indifferent;  the  face  remained  motionless;  the 
dignity  was  real,  not  a veneering. 

Of  the  musical  performance,  as  is  fitting,  I wi-ite  with 
great  diffidence.  If  I was  excruciated,  and  experienced 
twinges  of  acute  neuralgia,  it  may  have  been  my  own 
fault.  The  performers  were  happy,  and  Mr.  Satow's 
calm,  thoughtful  face  showed  no  trace  of  anguish. 
Oriental  music  is  an  agonising  mystery  to  me.  I won- 
dered at  the  time,  and  still  wonder,  whether  the  orches- 
tral music  of  the  Temple  on  l\Iount  Zion  would  not 


213 


THE  “DEAD  MARCH  IN  SAUL." 

have  been  equally  discordant  to  western  ears.  A gulf 
not  to  be  spanned  divides  the  harmonies  of  the  East 
from  those  of  the  West.  The  performers  were  anxious 
to  hear  some  of  our  music,  and  Mrs.  Mounse;y  played 
some  of  our  most  beautiful  and  plaintive  airs,  the  musi- 
cians standing  round  her  with  a look  of  critical  intelli- 
gence on  them  faces,  which  was  not  hopeful.  They 
thanked  her  gracefully,  but  even  their  Oriental  polite- 
ness was  unable  to  fabricate  a compliment.  Then  she 
played  the  “ Dead  March  ” in  Saul  with  more  than 
funereal  slowness,  but  an  almost  scornful  criticism  sat 
upon  their  faces,  the  instrument  and  the  “ March”  alike 
were  obviously  vapid,  trivial,  and  destitute  of  feeling. 
These  faces  were  all  well-bred  and  keenly  intelligent. 

There  were  five  kotos.,  two  slid,  a Corean  fuyS  or  flute, 
and  eventually  a Japanese  fuye.  There  were  two  or 
three  vocal  performances.  These  may  have  obeyed 
some  rules,  but  the  vocalists  certainly  did  not  take 
parts,  and  each  seemed  at  liberty  to  execute  excursions 
of  his  own  devising.  The  music  was  absolutely  mo- 
notonous, and  inflicted  a series  of  disappointments,  for 
every  time  that  it  seemed  to  tremble  upon  the  verge  of 
a harmony  it  relapsed  into  utter  dissonance.  There  was 
no  piano,  it  was  all  forte,  crescendo,  and  fortisshno.  Dr. 
Mueller  says,  however  — and  he  has  studied  the  Japan- 
ese and  their  music  intelligently  — “If  I am  asked 
what  impression  our  music  makes  upon  the  Japanese,  I 
am  sure  I shall  not  be  far  wrong  in  saying  that  they 
find  it  far  more  detestable  than  we  do  theirs.  A promi- 
nent Japanese  said,  not  to  me,  indeed,  for  their  polite- 
ness would  forbid  it,  ‘ Children,  coolies,  and  women 
may  find  pleasure  in  European  music ; but  an  educated 
Japanese  can  never  tolerate  it ! ’ ” 

Japanese  music,  like  most  of  their  arts  and  sciences, 
is  mainly  Chinese  and  Corean,  and  its  theory  has  the 


214 


UNBEATEN  TRACKS  IN  JAPAN. 


usual  spirit  of  mystical  Chinese  speculation,  which, 
basing  the  forces  and  phenomena  of  nature  upon  the 
number  jive.,  declares  that  as  sounds  belong  to  such 
phenomena,  there  must  be  jive  tones,  but  in  stringed 
instruments  the  Japanese  make  use  of  chromatic  divis- 
ions, though  the  five  tones  alone  are  recognised 
officially.  The  key-notes  themselves  stand  in  a definite 
relation  to  the  months,  so  that  in  each  month  of  the 
twelve  a separate  and  perfectly  defined  key  rules,  so 
that  in  each  the  murmuring  of  the  wind  in  ^vind  instru- 
ments is  confined  to  a special  key  ! I will  not  lead  you 
farther  into  the  fog  in  which  I speedily  found  myself  in 
spite  of  Mr.  Satow’s  possibly  lucid  explanations,  as  even 
the  initiated  say  that  Japanese  music  is  incomprehensi- 
ble, partly  because  the  text  of  much  of  the  older  music 
has  been  lost,  and  the  players  no  longer  know  the 
meaning  formerly  attached  to  it. 

Our  complicated  instruments,  such  as  those  with 
valves,  key-boards,  and  hammers,  are  unknown.  The 
Japanese  use  only  stringed  instruments,  which  are 
played  eitlier  with  a bow  or  with  various  kinds  of 
sharpened  appliances,  mnd  instruments  of  wood  or  shell 
with  metal  tongues,  and  instruments  of  percussion, 
made  of  wood  or  metal,  in  which  stretched  skins  are 
used. 

The  koto  has  several  varieties,  one  of  which  has  been 
known  for  1500  years.  The  special  one  played  at  IMr. 
Satow’s  has  13  striugs  of  waxed  silk  stretched  from  two 
immovable  bridges,  placed  on  a sounding-board  of  very 
hard  wood  6 feet  long,  standing  on  four  very  low  feet, 
with  two  openings  on  the  under  side.  It  is  played  with 
ivory  finger  caps,  and  always,  before  beginning,  the 
performers  rubbed  their  hands  vdgorousl}'  together. 

The  sho  is  a beautiful-looking  instrument,  richly 
decorated  in  gold,  and  exquisitely  finished.  It  has 


MUSICAL  INSTRUMENTS. 


21f» 

seventeen  pipes  of  very  different  lengths,  let  into  a 
wind  chest,  each  pipe  being  provided  with  a metal 
tongue.  Its  sounds,  taken  singly,  are  powerful  and 
highly  melodious.  It  is  used  as  the  fundamental  in- 
strument in  tuning  in  the  Japanese  orchestras,  it  leads 
the  melody,  and  the  voice  is  always  in  unison  with  it. 
The  kangurafuye,  or  Japanese  flute,  claims  an  antiquity 
of  twelve  centuries,  and  the  koma  fuyS,  or  Corean  flute, 
is  also  very  ancient. 

In  all  Japanese  wind  instruments  the  measure  of  the 
skill  of  the  player  is  the  length  of  time  for  which  he  can 
hold  on  a note.  The  power  and  penetrating  qualities 
of  the  sho  and  flutes  are  tremendous ; they  leave  not  a 
single  nerve  untortured ! The  vocal  performance  was 
most  excruciating.  It  seemed  to  me  to  consist  of  a 
hyena-like  howl,  long  and  high  (a  high  voice  being 
equivalent  to  a good  voice),  varied  by  frequent  guttural, 
half-suppressed  sounds,  a bleat,  or  more  respectfully 
“an  impure  shake,”  very  delicious  to  a musically-edu- 
cated Japanese  audience  which  is  both  scientific  and 
highly  critical,  but  eminently  distressing  to  European 
ears.  Another  source  of  pain  to  me  is  that  the  tuning 
of  the  koto  harmonises  with  our  minor  scale,  the  fourth 
and  seventh  being  omitted  in  deference  to  the  number 
five. 

Altogether  it  was  a most  interesting  evening,  and  I 
was  most  favourably  impressed  with  the  grave  courtesy, 
musical  enthusiasm,  and  strictly  Japanese  demeanour  of 
the  amateurs,  and  sincerely  hope  that  whatever  be  the 
fate  of  the  “ Music  of  the  Future,”  the  manners  of  the 
future  will  be  the  same  as  the  manners  of  the  present. 

I have  been  purposing  to  go  to  Kiyoto,  by  the  Naka- 
sendo,  or  inland  mountain  route,  a journey  of  fourteen 
days,  and  have  engaged  a servant  interpreter  for  the 
impossible  task  of  replacing  I to  ! The  rain,  however 


216 


UNBEATEN  TRACKS  IN  JAPAN. 


has  never  ceased  for  four  days,  and  at  the  last  moment 
I have  been  obliged  to  give  up  this  land  joui-ney,  the 
less  regretfully,  as  my  new  servant,  though  a most  re- 
spectable-looking man,  knows  hardly  any  English,  and 
I slu'ink  from  the  solitude  of  detentions  in  rain  and 
snow  in  lonely  and  elevated  yadoyas. 

Lady  Parkes  and  the  children  are  shortly  going  to 
England,  and  this  pleasant  home,  in  wliich  I have 
received  unbounded  kindness  and  hospitality,  will  be 
broken  up  ere  I return.  Lady  Parkes  carries  with  her 
the  good-will  and  regret  of  the  whole  foreign  commu- 
nity, for,  besides  the  official  and  semi-official  courtesies 
and  hospitalities  which  she  has  shown  as  a necessity  of 
Sir  Harry's  position,  she  has  given  liberally  of  those 
sympathies  in  sorrow  and  of  those  acts  of  thoughtful 
and  unostentatious  kindness,  which  are  specially  appre- 
ciated by  those  who  are  “ strangers  in  a strange  land.” 
People  only  need  to  be  afflicted  in  “ mind,  body,  or 
estate,”  to  be  sure  of  soft,  kind  words  genuinely  spoken, 
and  generous  attempts  at  alleHatiou.  Gossip  and 
unkind  speech  have  been  met  by  quiet  coldness,  and 
she  has  laboured  long  and  earnestly  to  promote  good 
feeling  among  all  classes.  She  will  be  much  missed  by 
the  higher  classes  of  Japanese  women,  for  she  has 
used  all  the  opportunities  within  her  power  to  win  their 
confidence  and  friendship,  striving  quietly  to  bring  them 
forward,  and  to  encourage  them  to  take  a more  active 
part  in  the  influential  sphere  of  social  duty.  Tokiyu 
and  Yokohama  are  about  to  show  their  regret  for  her 
departure  by  giving  her  magnificent  farewell  entertain- 
ments. 

My  last  day  has  come,  and  the  rain  still  falls  in  tor- 
rents from  a dingy  sky  I I.  L.  B. 


THE  UmoaUlMA  MABU. 


217 


A MISSIONARY  CENTRE. 

The  Biroshima  Maru  — A Picturesque  Fishing  Fleet — A Kiud  Re- 
ception— A Mission  Centre  — A Model  Settlement — The  Native 
Town  — Foreign  Trade  — The  Girls’  Iloine  — Bible  Classes  — The 
First  Christian  Newspaper  — Defects  in  Mission  Schools  — Man- 
ners and  Etiquette  — “ Missionary  Manners  ” — The  Truth  Fore- 
shadowed — Separation  in  Foreign  Society  — A Vow. 

1S6be,  October  20. 

The  day  before  I left  T6kiy8,  the  rain  fell  in  such 
torrents  that  I could  not  even  send  my  servant  into 
Yokohama  with  my  baggage  ; the  next  day  I dispensed 
with  him,  giving  him  a suitable  compensation,  and  have 
not  yet  been  suffered  to  miss  him. 

On  a cool  and  brilliant  afternoon,  dashing  through 
the  blue  water,  amidst  crowds  of  sampans^  in  the  Juno’s 
steam-launch,  and  afterwards  on  the  broad  white  deck 
of  the  Shanghai  mail  steamer,  Hiroshima  Maru,  with 
Fuji  standing  out  in  his  magnificent  loneliness  against 
a golden  sky  — a violet  dome  crested  with  snow,  I was 
a little  in  love  with  Yokohama  — at  a distance!  That 
Hiroshima,  a large  American  sidewheel,  deck-over-deck, 
unrigged  steamer,  is  a historic  boat,  for  she  was  the 
Golden  Age  on  the  old  Panama  route,  and,  in  the  palmy 
days  of  California,  used  to  carry  1000  passengers  at  a 
time  to  the  golden  land.  One  of  her  large  cabins  is 
still  called  the  El  Dorado,  and  the  other  L’Esperance 
and  the  last  being  allotted  to  me,  proved  a good  omen, 
for  I never  made  a more  charming  voyage.  Captain 


218 


UNBEATEN  TRACKS  IN  JAPAN. 


Fiirber’s  genial  kindness,  excellent  accommodatijn,  a 
refined  cuisine,  brilliant  sunsbine,  grand  coast  views, 
and  a waveless  sea,  all  combining  to  make  it  pleasant. 
After  sucb  dingy,  drowning  weather,  one  appreciates 
the  sunshine  heartily. 

On  the  evening  of  the  second  day,  ahead,  astern, 
around,  near  and  far,  wherever  we  could  see,  great  fiai- 
ing  lights  were  bobbing  and  curtseying  just  above  the 
water,  and  as  they  drifted  b^y  and  the  eye  became  ac- 
customed to  them,  they  appeared  as  a confused  multi- 
tude of  fitful  fires  hanging  over  the  bows  of  hundreds  of 
fishing-boats,  plying  their  trade  at  the  mouth  of  the  Kii 
Channel,  by  which  we  were  entering  the  inland  sea,  and 
groups  of  figures  always  struggling  at  the  boats’  heads, 
now  in  the  glare,  and  now  in  the  darkness,  the  fiery 
light  in  its  redness  and  fitfulness,  and  the  phospho- 
rescent light  in  its  whiteness  and  steachness,  formed 
one  of  the  most  picturesque  illumiiiations  I ever  beheld. 
These  lights  are  much  used  in  fishing,  specially  for 
squid.  By  long  wooden  handles  the  fishermen  hold 
over  the  side  of  their  boats  iron  cages,  in  which  they 
burn,  like  the  Ainos,  birch  bark  strips,  which  give  a 
clear  and  vivid  light,  very  speedily  extinct.  It  is  sup- 
posed that  the  fish,  confused  by  the  glare,  are  more 
readily  taken.  I wished  the  followers  of  Yebis  a good 
haul  that  night,  for  the  sake  of  the  pleasure  they  had 
given  me. 

We  anchored  here  in  the  early  morning  in  torrents  of 
rain,  accompanied  by  a high  wind,  and  neither  had 
ceased  when  Mr.  Gulick  came  off  for  me,  and  in  a very 
short  time  took  me  to  his  New  England  home.  He  is  a 
son  of  one  of  the  early  missionaries  to  the  Sandwich 
Islands,  who  has  six  missionary  children,  four  of  whom 
are  in  Japan,  three  living  here  under  the  same  roof  with 
their  venerable  mother.  INIrs.  Gulick  is  also  a born 


A MISSION  CENTME. 


219 


Sandwich  Islander,  a sister  of  my  friends  Mrs.  Sever 
ance  and  Mrs.  Austin  of  Hawaii ; the  bouse  is  built 
like  a Hilo  house,  and  has  many  Polynesian  “ effects 
about  it,  and  you  can  imagme  how  we  revel  in  Hawai- 
ian talk,  and  how  the  fires  of  Kilauea,  the  glorious  for- 
ests of  Hilo,  the  waving  palms,  the  dimpling  seas,  the 
coral  caves,  the  purple  nights,  and  all  the  never-to-be- 
forgotten  beauties  of  those  enchanted  islands,  mingle  in 
our  speech  with  some  personal  recollections  and  some 
gossip,  and  I dream  my  tropical  dream  once  more. 

This  is  the  headquarters  of  mission-work  under  the 
auspices  of  the  “American  Board.”  Somehow  when 
one  thinks  of  K8be  it  is  less  as  a Treaty  Port  than  as  a 
Mission  centre.  It  was  partly  to  see  the  process  of 
missionary  work  that  I came.  Everything  is  at  liigh 
pressure,  and  a hearty,  hopeful  spirit  prevails  among  all 
who  have  got  over  the  initial  difficulties  of  the  lan- 
guage, which  press  iieavily  on  new-comers.  The  mis- 
sionaries are  all  intensely  American  in  speech,  manner 
and  tone,  and  set  about  their  work  with  a curious  prac- 
ticality and  a confident  apportionment  of  means  to  ends 
which  I have  not  seen  before  in  this  connection.  They 
are  quite  a community,  mixing  little,  if  at  all,  with  the 
other  foreign  residents,  but  forming  a very  affectionate 
and  intimate  family  among  themselves.  Kobe  being  a 
place  of  energetic  effort,  and  of  reputed  success,  is  the 
spot  in  Japan  in  which  to  gauge  in  some  degree  the 
prospects  of  Christianity ; but  I shall  defer  saying 
much  on  the  subject  till  I have  been  to  KiySto  and 
Osaka, 

K8be  is  a bright,  pleasant-looking  settlement,  by  fer 
the  most  prepossessing  of  the  “ Treaty  Ports  ” that  I 
have  seen,  situated  on  an  inland  sea,  on  the  other  side 
of  which  the  mountainous  island  of  Kiushiu  rises. 
Westwards,  wooded  points  and  promontories,  melting 


220 


UNBEATEN  TRACKS  IN  JAPAN. 


into  a blue  haze,  or  fiery  purple  in  the  sunset,  appear  to 
close  the  channel,  while  eastwards  a stretch  of  land- 
locked water,  crowded  with  white  sails,  leads  to  the  city 
of  Osaka,  the  commercial  capital  of  Japan.  A range 
of  steep,  somewhat  bare,  and  very  picturesquely-shaped 
hills,  with  pines  in  their  hollows,  and  temples,  torii,  and 
tea-houses  on  their  heights,  rises  immediately  behind 
K6be,  which,  with  Hiogo,  the  old  Japanese  town,  of 
which  it  is  a continuation,  is  packed  along  the  shore  for 
a distance  of  three  miles,  the  Kiyoto  and  Hiogo  Rail- 
way, opened  in  great  state  by  the  Mikado  in  February 
1877,  running  through  the  town,  down  to  a pier  which 
enables  ships  of  large  tonnage  to  receive  cargo  direct 
from  the  railway  trucks.  The  Foreign  Concession, 
beautifully  and  regularly  laid  out  on  a grand  scale  for 
the  population  which  it  has  never  attracted,  is  at  the 
east  end.  It  is  a “ model  settlement,”  well  lighted  with 
gas,  and  supplied  with  water,  kept  methodically  clean, 
and  efficiently  cared  for  by  the  police.  The  Bund  has 
a fine  stone  embankment,  a grass  parade,  and  a magnifi- 
cent carriage-road,  with  the  British,  American,  and 
German  Consulates,  and  some  “ imposing  ” foreign  resi- 
dences on  the  other  side.  Several  short  streets  run 
back  from  this,  crossing  a long  one  parallel  with  the 
Bund.  The  side-walks  are  very  broad,  and  well  paved 
with  stones  laid  edgewise,  with  curb-stones  and  hand- 
some paved  water-ways,  and  the  carriage-roads  are  broad 
and  beautifully  kept.  The  foreign  houses  are  spacious 
and  solid,  and  the  railroad,  and  the  station  and  its  envi- 
ronments, are  of  the  most  approved  English  construc- 
tion. 

But  where  are  the  people?  Roads  without  houses, 
carriage-ways  without  carriages,  side-walks  without 
foot-passengers,  and  a solitude  so  dreary  that  thi’ce  men 
stopping  in  the  street  to  talk  is  a sight  which  might 


THE  NATIVE  TOWN. 


221 


collect  the  rest  of  the  community  to  stare  at  it,  are  fea 
tures  of  what  was  intended  to  be  an  important  place. 
It  is  mainly  English,  but  there  are  only  about  170 


A UIOOO  BUDDHA. 


British  residents,  and  this  includes  all  the  British  firms 
from  Osaka,  who  migrated  here  when  the  railroad  was 
opened.  There  is  an  English  “ omnibus  ” Church  be- 
hind the  Bund,  in  which  service  is  conducted  once  on 
Sunday  by  an  American  Congregational  clergyman, 


222 


UNBEATEN  TRACKS  IN  JAPAN. 


and  once  by  Mr.  Foss,  the  missionary  of  the  EnghsL 
“ S.P.G.”  A number  of  foreign,  wooden  houses  strag- 
gle up  the  foot-hills  at  the  back,  some  of  them  unmis- 
takable English  bmigalows,  while  those  which  look  like 
Massachusetts  homesteads  are  occupied  by  American 
missionaries.  In  spite  of  the  solitude  and  stagnatiop 
of  the  streets  of  the  settlement,  K6be  is  a pertinacious 
ly  cheerful-looking  place.  In  sunshine  it  is  all  ablaze 
with  light,  and  even  in  wind  and  rain  its  warm  colour 
ing  saves  it  from  dismalness.  A large  native  town  has 
grown  up  at  Kobe,  as  a continuation  of  Iliogo,  and  the 
two  are  active,  thri\’ing,  and  bustling;  their  narrow 
streets  being  thronged  witli  people,  kurumas,  and  ox- 
carts, while  sweeping  roofs  of  temples  on  heights  and 
flats,  tom,  great  bronze  Buddhas,  colossal  stone  lan- 
terns, and  other  tokens  of  prevailing  Buddhism,  give 
the  native  town  a variety  and  picturesqueness  very 
pleasing  to  the  ej'e.  The  crowded  junk  harbour,  the 
number  of  large  steamers,  both  Japanese  and  British, 
lying  off  the  Bund,  and  the  blue  mountains  across  the 
water,  make  it  as  pretty  to  look  from  as  to  look  at. 

As  at  Hakodate,  foreign  trade  is  decreasing,  and 
Japanese  trade  is  rapidly  increasing.  It  is  quite  inter- 
esting to  find  how  widely  the  exports  differ  in  different 
parts  of  Japan.  In  Yezo  it  was  fish,  seaweed,  and 
skins,  here  it  is  mainly  tea,  silk,  copper,  vegetable 
wax,  tobacco,  camphor,  muslirooms,  and  fans,  of  which 
four  millions  were  exported  last  year,  mainly  to  Amer- 
ica. The  rapid  increase  in  the  native  town  is  quite 
wonderful ; it  is  said  that  Hiogo  and  Kobe  between 
them  have  a popi;lation  of  50,000  people. 

The  Secretary  of  the  American  Board  of  Missions 
most  kindl}^  wrote,  commending  me  to  the  missionaries 
here,  and  I am  made  very  welcome  consequenthu  Yes- 
terday evening  we  went  to  tea  at  the  “ Girls’  Home,  ’ a 


BIBLE  CLASSES. 


223 


boarding-school  for  twenty-seven  Japanese  girls,  the 
prettiest  house  in  K8be,  in  very  attractive  grounds. 
This  is  conducted  by  three  ladies,  with  Japanese  assist- 
ance. The  girls  live  in  Japanese  fashion,  but  learn  our 
music,  in  which  they  are  very  anxious  to  excel.  The 
ladies  who  keep  it  speak  Japanese  fluently,  and  do  a 
great  deal  of  outside  mission-work,  not  only  in  K6be, 
but  in  villages  at  a distance,  where  they  hold  meetings 
for  women. 

This  morning  I went  to  the  Bible  classes,  which  are 
attended  by  forty-six  men  and  twelve  women,  some  of 
them  quite  elderly.  The  plan  is  for  each  woman  to 
read  a few  verses  aloud  from  the  New  Testament,  and 
give  her  ideas  upon  them,  and  such  ideas  they  are  as 
would  never  occur  to  a European,  or  to  any  one  who 
had  had  the  sough  of  Christianity  about  his  ears  from 
infancy.  They  ask  many  questions,  and  show  an  inter- 
est and  vivacity  which,  at  least,  must  keep  the  teacher 
alert,  and  there  was  so  much  laughter  that  one  would 
hardly  have  imagined  the  Bible  to  be  the  subject.  No 
traditional  reverence  has  gathered  round  it,  they  pos- 
sess but  a few  fragments,  and  it  is  to  them  simply  a 
story  of  facts  with  a moral  code  attached.  Several  of 
their  questions  were  startling,  but  natural.  “ What  is 
the  name  of  God’s  wife  ? ” one  woman  asked,  on  hear- 
ing of  the  Divine  Son.  We  visited  more  classes  where 
there  were  100  pupils,  and  then  went  to  church,  where 
the  sermon  was  cold  and  hard,  as  if  Christianity  had 
grown  sapless  and  wizened  with  age. 

This  Mission  has  at  K6be  nine  men  missionaries,  all 
but  one  with  wives,  and  five  single  ladies ; in  Osaka 
four  men  and  three  single  ladies,  and  in  KiyOto,  three 
men  and  one  single  lady.  Two  are  Medical  Missiona- 
ries, and  through  their  popular  work  several  villages 
within  treaty  limits  have  been  opened  to  Christianity, 


224 


UNBEATEN  TRACKS  IN  JAPAN 


two  of  which  now  possess  churches  and  pastors  of  theii 
own.  In  Kobe  there  are  three  preacliing  places,  and 
two  “out-stations;”  in  Osaka  three,  and  one  “ou^ 
station ; ” in  Kiy8to  three,  and  two  “ out-stations,”  be- 
sides numerous  women’s  meetings  and  classes.  Nearly 
all  the  missionaries  itinerate  regularly  witliin  treaty 
limits,  and  irregularly  with  passports  beyond  them 
They  have  girls’  boarding-schools  in  the  three  towns, 
and,  as  another  agency,  a newspaper  with  a Japanese 
editor,  but  under  Mr.  Gulick’s  supervision,  the  Shichi 
Iclii  Zappo^  or  Weekly  IMessenger,  established  in  Janu- 
ary 1876.  It  has  a circulation  of  about  1100  among 
native  Christians,  and  this  is  always  slowly^  increasing 
It  gives  general  news,  but  as  it  abstains  from  unfavour- 
able criticism  on  the  actions  of  the  Government,  and 
praises  it  dexterously  every  now  and  then,  it  has  es- 
caped a “press  warning.”  It  treats  of  the  progress  of 
Christianity,  and  of  other  subjects  interesting  to  the 
piofessors  of  the  new  faith.  It  luay^  become  a really 
valuable  organ  if  its  expression  of  native  Christian 
oj)inion  is  not  unduly  hampered.  As,  for  instance  just 
now,  the  editor  wrote  a kindly  but  serious  criticism  on 
tlie  way  in  which  girls’  Christian  schools  are  conducted, 
setting  forth  that  there  is  a failure  in  domestic  training, 
and  that,  consequently,  young  men  would  not,  indeed 
could  not,  seek  for  wives  among  the  girls  educated  by 
the  missionaries.  This  seems  to  me  the  weak  point  of 
the  different  female  schools  that  I have  heard  of.  01 
x»urse,  the  first  object  is  to  give  a Christian  training. 
And  raise  the  standard  of  morality,  which  must  be  lew 
enough  if  it  is  represented  truthfully  by  a superior  sort 
of  girl,  who  told  the  teacher  that  to  form  connections 
with  foreigners  is  the  great  ambition  of  girls  in  her 
position.  Besides  instruction  in  Christianity,  the  usual 
branches  of  a polite  education,  including  music,  are 


MANNERS  AND  ETIQUETTE.  22h 

taught,  and  further  time  is  taken  up  by  teaching  the 
Chinese  character,  which  girls  aie  very  anxious  to 
learn.  In  Japanese  training  great  stress  is  laid  upon 
the  housewifely  education,  and  to  be  accomplished  in 
all  housewifely  arts  is  a just  object  of  desire  with  every 
right-minded  Japanese  girl.  This  very  essential  pait 
of  education  is  almost  of  necessity  crowded  out  in  the 
foreign  schools,  and  I have  not  hesitated  to  express  my 
opinion  to  my  missionary  friends  as  to  the  injurious 
consequences.  Here  they  sit  on  the  floor  and  eat 
Japanese  food  in  Japanese  fashion,  but  in  some  other 
foreign  schools  they  sit  on  chairs  at  dining  tables,  and 
eat  meat,  Eiu-opean  fashion,  with  knives  and  forks, 
table  napkins,  if  I mistake  not,  being  used  also.  V^ery 
few  Japanese  can  afford  to  give  these  luxuries  to  their 
wives.  To  foreigners,  a girl  in  some  degree  accustomed 
to  our  usages,  and  speaking  a little  Englisli,  is,  in  many 
cases,  more  attractive  than  one  solely  Japanese  in  her 
language  and  habits,  and  with  misguided  female  ambi- 
tion on  the  one  side,  and  the  habits  which  prevail  in  the 
East  on  the  other,  there  is  much  reason  to  fear  that  re- 
sults may  occur  which  would  be  to  none  so  painful  as 
to  the  missiouaries  themselves. 

Another  difficulty  which  presents  itself  very  defi- 
nitely to  me,  is  regarding  manners  and  etiquette.  You 
remember  Ito  telling  me,  when  I found  fault  with  his 
manners,  that  they  were  “just  missionary  manners.” 
It  is  in  some  cases  true  that  the  missionaries,  disliking 
the  hollowness  and  insincerity  which  underlie  a good 
dea]  of  Japanese  politeness,  discourage  its  courtesies  as 
a waste  of  time,  and  that  young  men.  who  have  been 
for  some  time  under  missionary  training,  are  apt  to 
shock  one  by  a brusquerie  and  regardlessness  of  man- 
ner and  attitude,  which  would  be  displeasing  even  in 
Europeans ; but  I don’t  refer  to  this,  but  to  the  una 


226 


UNBEATEN  TRACES  IN  JAPAN. 


voidable  ignorance  of  foreign  ladies  of  the  thousand 
and  one  details  of  Japanese  female  etiquette.  Thus,  I 
have  heard  a native  critic  say  that  the  girls  trained  bj 
the  foreign  ladies  use  their  chop-sticks  “ disgracefully ; ” 
that  they  don’t  know  at  what  height  to  carry  a tray  oi 
tea ; that  their  girdles  are  badly  tied ; that  their  bows 
are  short  and  ungraceful ; that  they  enter  a room  awk- 
v\  ardly,  etc.  This  critic  is  a Christian,  and  most  anxious 
for  the  success  of  the  foreign  schools. 

Ah,  well ! If  we  are  not  a stiff-necked,  we  are  a stiff- 
backed  generation,  and  the  American  back  is  even 
stiffer  than  ours,  and  with  the  best  intentions,  we 
can  never  emulate  the  invertebrate  obeisances  of  Ori- 
entals. Still  it  is  very  distasteful  to  me  to  see  a low 
and  graceful  bow  acknowledged  by  a hasty  “ bob,”  and 
all  the  graceful  national  courtesies  ignored,  nor  does 
this  “ laying  the  axe  to  the  root  of  the  tree  ” of 
hoary  national  custom  commend  Christianity.  I abhor 
the  denationalisation  of  nations,  and  should  like  to  see 
Japanese  courtesies  studied  and  met  at  least  half-way, 
and  the  etiquette  of  Japanese  politeness  informed  and 
infused  throughout  by  the  truth  and  sincerity  of  the 
religion  of  Jesus  Clrrist,  which  enjoins  courtesy  and 
“ honour  ” to  “ all  men,”  as  it  enjoins  truth  and  charity. 
It  is  noteworth}'  that  a medical  missionary  here,  by  an 
almost  Oriental  courtesy  and  sua^dty  of  deportment, 
has  commended  himself  so  much  to  the  upper  classes 
and  to  men  in  influential  positions,  that  he  has  obtained 
from  Government  various  important  openings  for  mis 
sion  work,  which  his  more  brusque  and  stiff-backed 
brethren  would  have  sought  for  years  in  vain.  I am 
just  writing  to  jmu  what  I have  said  to  my  friends  with 
some  earnestness,  for  the  Christian  religion  is  unpopular 
enough  in  Japan,  without  weighting  it  vith  the  mill- 
stone of  an  implied  and  practised  antagonism  to  the 


SEPABATION  IN  FOREIGN  SOCIETY. 


227 


aucient  laws  of  good  breeding,  which,  like  the  cos- 
tumes, fit  the  people,  and  from  which  we  might  advan- 
tageously learn  not  a little. 

Except  in  a few  cases  the  missionaries  of  the  differ- 
ent denominations  know  nearly  nothing  of  the  two 
great  national  faiths.  Frequently,  on  asking  the  mean- 
ing of  various  significant  heathen  ceremonies,  I receive 
the  reply,  “ Oh,  I take  no  interest  in  'their  rubbish,”  or 
“ Oh,  it’s  not  worth  knowing,”  or  “ Oh,  it’s  just  one  of 
their  absurdities,”  or  “ I really  have  no  time  to  get  in- 
formation on  these  matters,”  the  last  being  a sufficient 
reason,  and  certainly  applicable  to  the  K8be  missiona- 
ries, who  devote  their  time  to  their  work  with  most 
praiseworthy  energy.  With  regard  to  Shint8,  except 
to  the  antiquary  or  student,  its  superstitions  are  simply 
rubbish,  but  it  constantly  occurs  to  me  that  even  the 
corrupt  form  of  Buddhism  which  prevails  in  Japan,  as 
it  possesses  an  ethical  code  and  definite  teachings  con 
cerning  immortality,  might  be  used  as  a valuable  auxil- 
iary in  the  preaching  of  Christianity  by  a teacher  who 
had  studied  it ; for  all  its  lotus  imagery,  its  doctrine  of 
purity,  and  its  penalties  for  unrighteousness,  are  but 
testimonies  to  the  Truth  that  “without  holiness  no  man 
can  see  the  Lord,”  and  shadows  of  the  loftier  teaching 
of  Him  to  whom  all  that  is  True  in  every  creed  and 
age  bears  reverent  witness. 

In  Kobe,  as  elsewhere,  there  is  a complete  separation 
between  the  foreign  and  the  missionary  community.  It 
is  possible  that  missionaries  lump  the  laity  together  as 
taking  no  interest  in  their  work,  and  shun  them  as  being 
uncongenial  and  antagonistic,  and  certainly  most  for- 
eigners speak  of  them  as  of  a pariah  caste,  and  many 
as  if  their  presence  in  Japan  were  an  outrage,  while 
scarcely  any  take  the  slightest  trouble  to  learn  what,  if 
any,  are  the  results  from  the  work  of  such  a large  num- 


228 


UNBEATEN  TRACKS  IN  JAPAN. 


ber  of  agents.  It  is  a pity,  and  many  hard  tilings  are 
said  on  both  sides  which  were  better  unsaid,  as  they  are 
not  always  true. 

The  few  days  since  I have  arrived  have  gone  very 
fast.  One  of  my  objects  in  coming  here  is  to  visit  the 
Shrines  of  Is^,  the  “ holy  places  ” of  Shint6ism,  and  as 
yet  I have  not  been  able  to  see  any  one  who  has  been 
there,  or  who  can  suggest  the  most  interesting  way 
of  going.  The  servant  difficulty  is  a great  one,  but 
Mr.  Flowers,  H.B.M.’s  Consul,  kindly  says,  that,  if  I 
cannot  do  better,  an  English-speaking  Japanese  from 
the  Consulate  shall  go  with  me.  As  usual,  kind  people 
are  taking  much  trouble  to  aid  me.  There  is  not  much 
to  see  in  these  towns,  except  the  busy  street  life  and 
the  large  number  of  temples,  but  the  walks  on  the  hills, 
and  the  variety  of  views  from  them,  are  beautiful. 
Some  of  the  Shint8  shrines  are  on  picturesque  heights, 
and  are  approached  through  avenues  of  red  torii.  In 
one  of  these  avenues,  consisting  of  about  120  of  these 
erections,  there  were  miniature  flag  poles,  seven  inches 
long,  planted  at  the  base  of  every  torii,  each  one  with  a 
red  paper  flag  inscribed  with  Chinese  characters.  The 
translation  is  “The  man  is  forty  years  old  who  makes 
this  request.  He  was  born  in  the  year  of  the  Dog.  If 
it  be  granted,  he  will  give  500  of  these  flags.”  The  re 
quest  was  not  given.  I.  L.  B. 


MOUNTAIN-GIRDLED  KIYOTO. 


229 


THE  KIYOTO  COLLEGE. 

Motmtain-girdled  Kiyoto  — Third-class  Travelling  — The  Home  of  Art 
— The  Kiyoto  College  — Captain  Jayne  — Mr.  Davis  — The  Cur- 
riculum— Philosophical  Ardour  — Discussions  and  Difficulties  — 
Total  Abstinence  — The  First  Christian  Pastor  — Japanese  Impres- 
sions of  Scotland  — Increased  Demand  for  the  Christian  Scriptures. 

Nijosaji  Yasheki,  Kiyoto,  October  30. 

This  is  truly  delightful.  As  the  Hebrew  poets  loved 
to  sing  of  mountain-girdled  Jerusalem,  so  Japanese 
poetry  extols  Kiy6to,  which  is  encompassed,  not  with 
forest-smothered  ranges  like  those  of  Northern  Japan, 
but  with  liills  more  or  less  rugged,  wooded  here,  broken 
into  grey  peaks  there,  crimson  with  maples,  or  dark  with 
pines,  great  outbreaks  of  yellowish  rock  giving  warmth 
and  variety,  and  the  noble  summit  of  Hiyeizan  crowning 
the  mountain  wall  which  bounds  the  city  on  the  north. 
On  fine  days,  when  the  sun  rises  iii  pink  and  gold,  and 
sets  in  violet  and  ruddy  orange,  these  mountains  pass 
through  colours  which  have  no  names,  the  higher  ranges 
beyond  the  Gulf  of  Osaka  look  faintly  through  a veil  ot 
delicious  blue,  and  I grudge  the  radiant  hours  passing, 
because  rain  and  mist  persistently  return  to  dim  the 
picture.  There  is  a pleasure  in  being  able  to  agree  cor- 
dially with  every  one,  and  every  one  loves  Kiyoto. 

1 came  here  a fortnight  ago  with  Mrs.  Gulick,  intend- 
ing to  spend  two  or  three  days  alone  in  a yadoya^  but  on 
arriving  found  that  it  had  been  arranged  that  I should 
be  received  here,  where  I have  spent  a fortnight  delight 


230 


UNBEATEN  TRACKS  IN  JAPAN. 


fully,  seeing  a great  many  of  the  sights  with  my  hostess, 
and  others  with  Mr.  Noguchi,  an  English-speaking  Jap 
anese,  deputed  by  the  Governor  to  act  as  my  cicerone. 

We  travelled  third  class,  as  I was  most  anxious  to 
see  how  the  “ common  people  ’’  behaved.  The  carriage 
was  not  divided  higher  than  the  shoulders,  and  was  a1 
ono;  completely  filled  with  Japanese  of  the  poorest  class 
The  journey  lasted  three  hours,  and  I unweariedly  ad 
mired  the  courtesy  of  the  people  to  each  other  and  to 
us,  and  their  whole  behaviour.  It  was  beautiful — so 
well  bred  and  kindly,  such  a contrast  to  what  one  woidd 
probably  have  seen  near  great  seaport  cities  at  home ; 
and  the  Japanese,  like  the  Americans,  respect  them- 
selves and  their  neighbours  by  travelling  in  decent  and 
cleanly  clothing.  Respect  to  age  and  blindness  came  out 
very  prettily  on  the  journey.  Our  best  manners  fall 
short  of  theirs  in  grace  and  kindliness.  It  is  quite 
a mistake  always  to  travel  first  class,  for  then  one  only 
hears  the  talk  of  foreigners,  which  is  apt  to  be  vapid 
and  stale. 

An  hour’s  journey  took  us  to  6saka  ; more  third  class 
cars,  filled  with  passengers,  were  attached  ; we  steamed 
off  again,  the  hills  drew  nearer  to  each  other ; we  crossed 
several  rivers  down  which  boats  with  mat  sails  were 
dropping  with  the  current,  saw  the  rapid  Yodo,  thought 
of  Francis  Xavier,  and  as  pagodas  and  temple  roofs  ap- 
peared among  the  trees  the  train  pulled  up  in  a trim, 
prosaic  station,  where  hundreds  of  A;MrM.TOa-runner8 
clamoured  for  our  custom  ; and,  chafing  at  the  incongru- 
ity and  profanation  of  a railway  station  in  this  historic 
capital,  I realised  in  half  an  hoiu’  that  Kiyoto  is  unlike 
the  other  cities  of  Japan.  It  is  the  home  of  art,  given 
up  to  beauty,  dress,  and  amusement;  its  'O'omen  are 
pretty,  their  coiffures  and  girdles  are  bewitching,  sur- 
prises of  brio'ht  colour  lurk  about  their  attire  ; th?  cliil 


AMERICAN  MISSION  SCHOOL. 


231 


dren  are  pictures,  there  is  music  everywhere  ; beautiful 
tea-houses  and  pleasure-grounds  abound,  and  besides  all 
tills,  the  city  is  completely  girdled  by  a number  of  the 
grandest  temples  in  Japan,  with  palaces  and  palace  gar- 
dens of  singular  loveliness  on  the  slopes  of  its  purple 
hills. 

This  place  is  the  American  Mission  School  for  girls. 


THB  BOKKUKADO. 


a very  large  semi- Japanese  house,  with  glass  slides 
instead  of  shSji,  and  without  amado.,  which  makes  it 
very  cold.  It  is  built  on  the  site  of  the  yasMki  of  a kugS 
or  noble  of  the  Mikado’s  court,  and  is  in  a spacioi  s en- 
closure, with  temple  grounds  behind  it,  and  the  sweet- 
toned  bells  of  many  temples  make  the  hours  musical  by 
night  and  day.  There  is  room  for  fifty  girls,  but  the 


232 


UNBEATEN  TRACKS  IN  JAPAN. 


number  is  limited  to  eighteen  at  present,  because  Miss 
Starkwether,  the  lady  principal,  is  alone,  and  seems 
likely  to  remain  without  American  assistance.  This 
school  gives  an  industrial  training,  and  Miss  Stark- 
wether is  most  conscientiously  anxious  that  the  girls 
should  attend  strictly  to  the  rules  of  Japanese  etiquette 
and  good  breeding. 

This  mission,  in  this  rigidly  secluded  city,  is  a most 
interesting  one,  for  it  has  been  brought  about  mainly 
by  Japanese.  If  you  have  read  my  letters  carefully, 
you  will  long  have  known  that  no  foreigners,  unless  in 
Japanese  employment,  can  live  outside  of  treaty  limits. 
In  this  case  a Japanese  Company,  consisting  of  one 
Christian  Japanese,  and  two  who  are  not  Christians, 
holds  the  college  and  school  property,  and  employs 
as  teachers,  under  a civil  contract,  Mr.  Da\is,  i\Ir. 
Learned,  and  j\Iiss  Starkwether,  who,  as  its  serA’ants, 
have  obtained  permits  to  live  here  for  five  years.  The 
governor  of  the  city  is  opposed  strongly  to  Christian- 
ity, and  permits  of  residence  have  been  refused  to  the 
two  ladies  who  were  to  assist  in  the  girds’  school. 

Close  by  is  the  Kiyoto  College,  the  most  interesting 
feature  of  mission  work  in  Japan.  The  college  came 
about  in  this  way.  In  Higo  province,  in  the  island  of 
Kiushiu,  there  is  a Government  school,  in  which  an 
American,  Captain  Jayne,  who  was  really  a teacher  of 
military  tactics,  taught  science  in  English  for  five 
years,  liis  pupils  being  young  men  of  the  samurai 
class,  many  of  whom  intended  to  enter  the  armj". 
Under  his  influence  about  forty  of  these  became 
Christians,  and  anxious  to  spread  Chi'istiam'ty  in 
Japan.  Some  of  them  were  much  opposed,  and  even 
turned  adrift  by  their  parents,  but,  remaining  stead 
fast,  desired  theological  instruction,  and  this  Japanese 
company,  assisted  by  Americans,  bought  this  ground 


THE  CURRICULUM. 


233 


and  established  the  college.  There  are  over  100  youths 
in  it  now,  60  of  whom  are  Christians,  and  between  40 
and  50  are  studying  for  the  Christian  ministry.  Though 
the  object  of  the  college  is  a Christian  one,  attendance 
at  the  morning  prayers  is  not  compulsory,  neither  is 
the  receiving  of  religious  instruction.  Practically, 
however,  few  of  the  students  reject  either. 

Mr.  Davis,  the  head,  is  genial,  enthusiastic,  vehement, 
and,  what  is  so  rare  in  this  day,  a firm  believer  in  the 
truth  of  what  he  teaches.  He  is  sanguine  regarding 
the  spread  of  Christianity  in  Japan,  and  his  students 
imbibe  something  of  his  hopeful  spirit.  He  distin- 
guished himself  in  the  American  war,  and  a soldierly 
frankness  and  spii'it  are  so  blended  with  a very  earnest 
Christianity,  that  his  military  rank  clings  to  him,  and 
he  is  often  called  “ Colonel  Davis.”  Mr.  Learned,  a 
very  silent  but  scholarly  man,  is  his  coadjutor,  and 
Mr.  Neesima,  a Japanese,  at  present  the  only  ordained 
Japanese  pastor,  and  some  younger  men,  assist.  The 
course  is  very  extensive,  extending  over  five  years, 
and  the  theological  students  are  anxious  to  increase 
it  to  six!  The  ordinary  course  includes  Japanese, 
reading,  spelling,  language  lessons,  international  and 
common  school  geography,  international  arithmetic, 
written  arithmetic,  algebra,  general  and  Japanese  his- 
tory, geometry,  natural  philosophy,  chemistry,  physi- 
ology, rhetoric,  with  Japanese  and  English  composi- 
tion and  declamation,  and  a course  of  Biblical  study. 
The  theological  course  includes  mental  and  moral 
philosophy,  sacred  geography,  theology,  homiletics, 
pastoral  theology,  and  church  history,  with  classes  on 
prophecy  and  the  Epistles.  The  weakness  in  the 
teaching  staff  is  obvious,  but  permits  have  been  ap- 
plied for  for  two  more  foreign  teachers,  and  in  the 
meantime,  by  energy  and  enthusiasm,  Mr.  Davis  gets 
the  work  carried  on. 


234 


UNBEATEN  TBACKS  IN  JAPAN. 


For  several  mornings  I have  gone  to  the  college  to 
hear  some  of  the  classes  taught.  The  first  day  I 
arrived  at  the  end  of  morning  prayers,  and  was  sur- 
prised to  see  how  very  few  decline  either  the  prayers 
or  the  religious  instruction.  All  my  acquaintances 
among  the  TokiyQ  teachers  speak  of  the  good  con- 
duct, courtesy,  docility,  and  appetite  for  severe  and 
continued  study  which  characterise  their  students, 
and  it  is  just  the  same  here.  I pity  the  instructors 
who  have  to  deal  off-hand  with  the  difficulties  of  these 
earnest  youths,  many  of  whose  questions  show  them  to 
be  deep  thinkers,  and  indisposed  to  accept  anything  on 
trust,  or  to  pass  over  the  most  trivial  matter  vdthout 
understanding  it.  Theff  absorption  in  study  is  so  com- 
plete that  they  never  even  look  at  me.  I find  the  men- 
tal and  moral  philosophy  classes  peculiarly  interesting, 
these  being  subjects  on  which  the  3"Oung  men  are 
keenly  alive,  and  thought  in  these  directions  is  greatly 
stimulated  by  the  extensive  circulation  of  the  works  of 
Mill,  Herbert  Spencer,  and  Comte  ; while  the  researches 
and  speculations  of  Darwin  and  Huxley  tend  to  inten- 
sify the  interest  m a special  direction.  The  students, 
as  a whole,  are  remarkably  ugly,  and  it  is  curious  to 
see  their  earnest,  thoughtful  faces,  several  of  them 
with  spectacles,  drinking  in  thoughtfully  and  critically 
the  philosophy  of  Sir  W.  Hamilton,  an  alien  pldlosophy 
in  an  alien  tongue. 

IMr.  Davis  lectures  for  half  an  hour,  and  in  the 
remaining  half  the  students  question  him  and  state 
their  d'fficulties  in  English.  One  of  their  questions, 
or  rather  difficulties,  as  to  the  possibility  of  conceiving 
of  colour  without  form  has  taken  up  a great  part  of 
two  mornings.  Obviously  they  decline  to  accept  any- 
thing either  from  teacher  or  class-book  without  under- 
standing it.  Many  of  their  questions  are  carefully  pre- 


PHILOSOPHICAL  AEDOUR. 


235 


pared,  and  are  very  tough.  There  is  less  enthusiasm, 
as  is  natural,  in  the  Church  History  class.  It  must 
discourage  these  neophytes  to  find  that  Christianity  was 
scarcely  brighter  or  purer  as  it  neared  its  source,  and 
that  its  history  is  full  of  wrangling  and  bitterness.  It 
was  odd  to  hear  the  differences  between  the  Jesuits  and 
the  Jansenists  discussed  in  Japan,  and  to  notice  the 
intense  interest  which  the  students  showed  in  anything 
which  bore,  even  remotely,  on  the  special  tenets  of  Cal- 
vin. This  morning  one  of  the  classes  was  a debat- 
ing-club  rather  than  a class,  the  subject  started  be- 
ing, “ W hether  the  eye  furnishes  us  with  facts,  or  only 
with  data  from  which  we  elaborate  facts,”  and  the 
students  were  prepared  with  quotations  from  Reid, 
Stewart,  Brown,  and  Hamilton.  In  the  next  class  a 
student  was  called  upon  to  give  the  distinctive  features 
of  the  Baconian  teaching,  and  this  he  did  so  admirably 
and  with  such  conciseness,  that  his  definition  might 
have  been  printed.  I was  very  much  interested,  also, 
with  a class  on  “ the  Messianic  Psalms,”  the  seventy- 
second  being  the  subject.  The  hour  was  spent  almost 
entirely  in  the  suggestion  of  difficulties  by  the  students, 
who  failed  to  see  that  it  has  any  Messianic  reference, 
and  regarded  it  as  applicable  to  Solomon.  They  had 
fortified  themselves  by  a very  careful  study  of  the  Old 
Testament  in  English,  and  their  honest  difficulties  On 
this  and  other  subjects  are  far  removed  from  the  flip- 
pancy of  doubt.  Some  of  them  are  quite  new,  and 
show  very  forcibly  the  questions  which  arise  when  the 
Bible  is  presented  for  the  first  time  to  an  educated 
people ; others  might  occur  to  any  one  among  our- 
selves, such  as,  “ You  say  Chiist  and  His  Father  are 
one.  Then,  when  Christ  was  on  earth,  there  was  no 
God  in  heaven ; to  whom,  then,  did  men  pray  ? ” and, 
“If  in  the  old  days  a pious  Jew  did  not  understand 


^36 


UNBEATEN  TRACKS  IN  JAPAN. 


the  references  in  a prophecy  or  its  meaning,  would  the 
prophet  be  able  to  explain  it  ? ” 

These  yoimg  men  bear  their  own  expenses  and  wear 
the  Japanese  dress,  but  their  Japanese  politeness  has 
much  deteriorated,  wliich  is  a pity,  and  the  peculiar 
style  of  manner  and  attitude  which  we  recognise  as 
American  does  not  sit  well  upon  them.  They  are  an 
earnest  body  of  students,  their  moral  tone  is  very  high, 
they  all  abstain  from  sake.,  they  are  aU  heartily  con- 
vinced of  the  truth  of  Clu-istianit}^  they  are  anxious 
to  be  furnished  with  every  weapon  of  attack  against 
the  old  heathenism  and  the  new  philosophies,  and  they 
mean  to  spend  their  lives  in  preaching  Christianity. 
Several  of  them  already  preach  in  the  vacation,  and 
just  now,  one,  named  Hongma,  is  meetmg  with  singular 
success  at  Hikone  on  Lake  Biwa,  the  clianged  lives  ol 
some  of  the  converts  being  matter  of  notoriety.  It  is  to 
such  men  as  these  that  the  conversion  of  Japan  will  be 
owing  if  their  sanguine  views  are  realised ; but  who 
can  say  what  the  Japanese  church  of  the  future  will 
be,  or  whether  its  teachings  will  be  in  accordance  with 
those  of  any  of  our  creeds  ? 

The  practical  sagacity  with  which  the  Americans 
manage  their  missions  is  worthy  of  notice.  So  far  from 
seeking  for  a quantity  of  converts,  they  are  mainly  so- 
licitous for  quality.  They  might  indeed  baptize  hun- 
dreds where  they  are  content  with  tens.  [The  same 
remark  applies  to  Dr.  Palm  and  the  missionaries  of  the 
C.M.S.  at  Hakodate  and  Niigata.]  There  are  hundreds 
of  men  and  women  scattered  thi'oughout  this  neighbour- 
hood who  are  practically  Cliristians,  who  even  meet  to- 
gether to  read  the  Bible,  and  who  subscribe  for  Christian 
objects,  but  have  never  received  baptism.  Two  matters 
test  the  sincerity  of  would-be  converts.  The  first  is 
tliat  they  are  expected  to  build  their  own  churches,  sup 


“ TOTAL  abstinence:’ 


237 


port  thoir  own  pastors,  and  sustain  tlieir  own  poor,  and 
the  next,  that  abstmence  from  salce^  though  not  an  arti- 
cle of  membership,  is  tacitly  required,  the  missionaries 
of  the  American  Board  being,  without  an  exception, 
rigid  “ teetotallers.”  Sake  enters  so  largely  into  all 
social  customs  and  ceremonials  that  the  abandonment 
of  it  on  the  part  of  the  converts  involves  a nearly  com- 
plete social  separation  from  their  heathen  friends.  You 
will  remember  the  important  part  which  sake  played  in 
the  marriage  ceremony  at  Kubota,  of  which,  indeed, 
the  formal  drinking  of  twenty-seven  cups  of  it  con- 
stituted the  obvious  part.  The  K6be  Christians  have 
so  altogether  broken  with  the  old  usage  that  recently 
their  marriages  have  been  celebrated  by  a religious  ser- 
vice at  church,  the  legal  registration  being  in  the  office 
of  the  Kochd,  and  sake  has  been  altogether  banished 
from  the  marriage-feast.  The  Kube  church,  just  opened, 
cost  its  350  members  915  dollars.  They  pay  their  pas- 
tor, provide  dispensary  medicines  for  those  of  their  num- 
ber who  are  too  poor  to  pay  for  them,  and  compensate 
such  of  their  members  as  are  too  poor  to  abstain  from 
Sunday  work  for  their  loss  of  a day’s  wages.  The  mak- 
ing the  congregations  self-supportiiig,  and  training  the 
Japanese  Christians  to  independence,  is  part  of  the 
work  of  all  the  American  missionaries.  Probably,  after 
ft  time,  when  the  number  of  converts  is  largely  in- 
creased, they  may  evolve  both  a theology  and  a church 
order  wliich  will  snrprise  their  teachers.  I have  had 
several  interesting  conversations  with  some  of  the  stu- 
dents who  speak  English  well,  and  I gather  from  them 
that  they  earnestly  desire  to  establish  a national  church, 
not  altogether  on  the  lines  of  the  pattern  supplied  to 
them ; and  it  is  not  impossible  that  in  religion,  as  in 
other  matters,  the  foreigners  may  first  be  used,  and 
then  be  dispensed  with  . In  the  meantime,  the  progress, 


238 


UNBEATEN  TTIACKS  IN  JAPAN. 


slow  as  it  is,  which  Christianity  is  making  among  the 
upper  classes,  is  very  interesting,  and  the  interest  is 
focussed  among  these  young  men. 

Yesterday  evening,  after  a delightful  interview  with 
Ykamatz,  the  most  influential  priest  of  the  Monto  sect 
of  Buddhists,  I went  to  tea  with  Mr.  and  i\Irs.  Neesima 
in  their  pleasant  Japanese  house.  The  tea  was  on  a 
table,  we  sat  on  chairs,  and  there  was  no  difference  be- 
tween the  meal  and  one  at  a foreign  house  except  for 
the  exquisitely  beautiful  porcelain  on  the  table,  some 
of  it  old  Satsuma.  Such  treasures  at  home  would  be 
locked  up  in  cabinets.  Mr.  Neesima  is  a samurai.  He 
is  a Christian  pastor,  ordained  in  America,  and  teaches 
natural  philosophy,  etc.,  in  the  Kiy6to  College.  He 
wears  a European  dress,  and  haHng  been  abroad  for 
many  years,  knows  how  to  wear  it.  His  wife  teaches 
needlework  in  the  girls’  home,  and  dresses  as  a Japan- 
ese. Mr.  N.’s  study  is  just  like  a literary  man’s  room 
at  home,  with  its  walls  well  covered  with  English  and 
American  editions  of  our  standard  works  in  several  de- 
partments. He  has  relations  in  very  influential  posi 
tions,  and  has  himself  served  the  Government  abroad. 
He  was  brought  up  a Shintoist,  and  as  he  grew  up  be- 
came an  atheist.  Having  received  the  best  education 
which  could  be  got,  he  went  to  T6kiy6  to  learn  Dutcli. 
in  order  that  he  might  visit  America,  and  study  naviga- 
tion and  foreign  shipbuilding,  wdth  the  Hew  of  mtro- 
ducing  the  latter  trade  into  Japan,  whose  prosperity, 
even  then,  was  very  dear  to  him.  In  Tokiyd  he  saw 
some  Christian  tracts  in  Chinese,  and  learned  from  them 
the  r otion  of  a Creator  with  claims  on  all  His  creatures. 
With  the  strong  sense  of  filial  duty  in  which  the  Japan- 
ese are  brought  up,  the  decided  opposition  of  his  ]iar- 
ents  had  hindered  liim  from  leaHng  home,  but  he 
became  con'vinced  that  if  the  Christian  God  had  indeed 


IHE  FIBST  CHRISTIAN  PASTOR. 


239 


created  him,  He  had  a prior  claim  to  his  obedience,  and 
that  duty  compelled  him  to  go  and  strive  to  advance 
the  prosperity  of  his  country,  which  he  felt  must  be 
very  dear  to  the  Creator. 

At  that  time  Japanese  were  prohibited  from  leaving 
Japan,  and  a penalty  of  death  [practically  only  impris- 
onment] awaited  the  disobedient  on  their  return,  though 
it  was  not  likely  to  be  inflicted  on  any  one  who  should 
bring  back  a valuable  art.  With  the  object  of  learn- 
ing Christianity  and  visiting  America,  Mr.  N.  went  to 
Yezo,  but  after  managing  to  get  on  board  a ship  bound 
for  China,  found,  to  his  disappointment,  that  the  Ameri- 
can captain  knew  nothing  about  religion.  On  landing 
in  China  he  sold  his  tAvo  swords,  bought  a New  Testa- 
ment, obtained  a considerable  intellectual  acquaintance 
with  Christianity,'  and  on  the  long  voyage  to  Boston, 
acquired  English,  which  he  speaks  with  considerable 
freedom  and  vigour.  In  Boston  he  fell  among  people 
with  whom  Christianity  was  a life  as  well  as  a creed, 
passed  through  the  mysterious  change  known  as  “ con- 
version,” and,  under  the  power  of  the  new  impulse, 
abandoned  shipbuilding,  believing  that  he  was  bound  to 
spread  a religion  which  would  bring  a better  and  truer 
prosperity  to  his  country  than  trade,  spent  flve  years 
in  studying  theology  at  Andover,  and  three  years  in  a 
scientiflc  course  at  Amherst,  with  a break  in  which  he 
accompanied  Mr.  Tanaka,  the  acting  Minister  of  Edu- 
cation, to  England,  France,  Sweden,  Denmark,  Russia, 
and  Germany,  eventually  remaining  for  some  time  iu 
Berlin.  On  returning  home  after  being  ordained  in 
America,  he  organised  the  company  by  which  the 
teachers  in  this  college  are  engaged,  and  devotes  him- 
self to  the  Christianising  and  elevating  of  his  country- 
men, in  the  full  belief  that  it  is  through  the  first  that 
the  last  must  come.  These  are  mevely  the  bald  out- 


240 


UNBEATEN  TRACKS  IN  JAPAN. 


lines  of  a most  interesting  historj^  There  was  muel 
that  was  singular  in  his  adventirres,  as  I have  heard 
from  others,  his  own  modesty  making  him  withhold 
some  of  the  most  interestmg  events  in  his  liistory,  but 
I am  afraid  of  repeating  them  incorrectly,  so  I leave 
them  out.  Mr.  N.  is  a gentleman  to  begin  with,  and 
has  quiet,  easy,  courteous  manners.  He  is  a genial,  en- 
lightened Christian,  and  an  intensely  patriotic  Japanese. 
He  gives  a sad  account  of  the  lack  of  truth,  and  the 
general  corruption  of  morals,  among  his  countrymen. 
He  takes  a less  hopeful  view  of  the  prospects  of  Chris- 
tianity than  his  American  colleagues,  thinks  that  there 
is  a great  unlikelihood  of  its  spreading  mucli  in  the 
cities,  but  hopes  for  successful  results  from  the  preach- 
ing of  the  students  m the  country  districts.  I asked 
him  what,  in  his  opinion,  are  the  leading  faults  of  his 
countiq  nien,  and  he  replied  without  a moment’s  hesi- 
tation, “ Lying  and  licentiousness.”  It  is  curious  that 
two  Japanese,  holding  liigli  official  positions,  and  both 
heathen,  should  have  given  me  exactly  the  same  answer. 

1 asked  him  what  made  the  greatest  impression  upon 
him  in  England,  and  he  said,  “ The  drunkenness,  and 
the  innocent  faces  of  the  children.”  The  former, 
specially  in  Scotland,  horrified  him.  He  supposed, 
from  his  New  England  experience,  that  “Christians” 
did  not  put  wine  on  their  tables,  and  told  l\Ir.  Tanaka 
30 ; consequently,  when  Mr.  T.  was  entertained  at  a 
dinner  where  wine  pla3^ed  a prominent  part,  “he 
supposed  that  the  Scotch  were  not  Christians.”  Mr. 
Neesima  was  in  Edinburgh  at  the  time  of  the  General 
Assemblies,  and  was  astonished  to  find  that  “a  good 
deal  of  Avine  was  drunk  by  ministers  at  dinners.” 
“Some  of  them  got  very  stupid  and  sleep}'  with  it,”  he 
said ; “ I wish  they  could  knoAv  how  sad  and  sore  my 
heart  felt  for  tlrem.”  This  seemed  to  impress  hiii] 


DEMAND  FOR  THE  CHRISTIAN  SCRIPTURES.  24] 


more  than  the  Commissioner’s  procession,  or  the  Free 
Assembly  in  a crowded  and  hot  debate.  He  spoke  at 
some  length  as  to  the  spread  of  the  “ English  Phil- 
osophy ” among  the  educated  youth  of  Japan. 

You  know  that  only  parts  of  the  Bible  have,  as  yet, 
been  translated.  The  Old  Testament,  though  the 
translators  are  hard  at  work  upon  it,  is  not  printed, 
and  the  New  consists  of  the  four  Gospels,  the  Acts, 
Romans,  Galatians,  Hebrews,  and  St.  John’s  Epistles. 
I wonder  what  the  effect  of  the  Mosaic  record,  and  of 
the  importance  attached  to  the  Jewish  nation,  will  be 
on  people  who  believe  Japan  the  sum  and  centre  of  all 
things  ? The  demand  for  the  books  of  the  New  Testa- 
ment is  increasing  rapidly.  Very  many  thousand  copies 
have  been  sold  during  the  last  year,  and  there  must  be 
altogether  a prodigious  number  in  circulation. 

1>  L.  B. 


242 


UNBEATEN  TRACKS  IN  JAPAN 


THE  MONTO  SECT. 


ITie  Protestants  of  Buddhism  — The  “English-Speaking”  Priest — 
The  Nishi-Hongiiwanji  Temple  — A Monto  Altar — Nirvana  — 
Hid^yoshi’s  Summer  Palace  — Metempsychosis  — Buddha  as  a 
Democrat — The  Prospects  of  Christianity  — The  Priest’s  Estimate 
of  Belief  in  England  — The  Conflict  of  Opinion  in  Japan — A 
Question. 

KiJOSAJf  TASHiKi,  KiTOTO,  November  1. 

Of  the  many  sects  and  sub-sects  into  which  Buddlhsm 
is  divided,  none  interests  me  so  much  as  the  Shinshiu, 
sometimes  called  the  Monto  Sect,  founded  b}-  Shinran 
in  1262.  Protesting  against  celibacy,  penance,  fasting, 
pilgrhnages,  nunneries,  monasteries,  cloistered  and  her- 
mit isolation  from  society,  charms,  amulets,  and  the 
reading  of  the  Scriptures  in  an  unkno't\Ti  tongue,  claim- 
ing freedom  of  thought  and  action,  and  emancipation 
from  ShintS,  traditional,  and  State  influence,  and  hold- 
ing that  the  family  is  the  source  and  example  of 
purity,  Shinran  married  a noble  lady  of  Kiyoto,  and 
founded  a married  priesthood.  If  the  Monto  is  not 
the  largest  sect,  it  stands  first  in  intelligence,  influence, 
and  wealth,  it  is  putting  forth  immense  energies,  and 
has  organised  theological  schools  on  a foreign  system; 
in  which  its  acol}^des  are  being  trained  in  Buddhist  and 
Western  learning  for  the  purpose  of  enabling  them  not 
only  to  resist  or  assail  both  Shinto  and  Christianity, 
but  the  corruptions  of  the  Buddhist  faith.  At  this 
hour  new  college  buildings  are  arismg  in  Kiy8to  to  be 
splendidly  equipped  for  teacl-.ing  purposes,  a.nd  the 


THE  “ENGLISH-SPEAKING'’  PRIEST.  243 


plan  is  to  send  certain  of  the  young  priests  to  England 
to  learn  Sanskrit,  and  to  fortify  themselves  with  ar- 
guments against  Christianity ; and  it  is  not  in  KiySto 
alone  that  this  vigorous  sect  is  training  a priesthood  to 
meet  the  needs  of  the  day. 

Foremost  in  this  movement,  which  has  for  its  object 
a new  reformation,  and  the  re-establishment  of  Buddh- 
ism as  a moral  power  in  Japan,  is  Akamatz,  a priest  of 
great  intellect,  high  culture,  indomitable  energy,  wide 
popularity,  and  far-reaching  ambitions  for  the  future  of 
his  faith.  He  spent  some  years  in  England,  studying 
Sanskrit  and  Christianity,  and  is  known  to  the  Japan- 
ese in  Kiy6to  as  “the  English-speaking  priest.”  Mr. 
de  Saumarez  gave  me  a letter  to  him,  and  he  wrote  me 
a note  in  English,  asking  me  to  go  and  see  him  at  the 
Nishi-Honguwanji  temple. 

The  Monto  sect  builds  large  temples  in  the  centres 
of  great  cities,  and  often  in  pairs,  connected  by  a 
covered  corridor.  These  are  the  temples  whose  huge 
sweeping  roofs  and  vast  enclosures  near  the  railway 
station  impressed  me  on  the  day  of  my  arrival,  and  not 
less  impressive  were  they  to-day  as  I approached  them 
in  my  favourite  kuruma  through  streets  of  shrine  and 
idol  makers,  in  whose  shops  the  gorgeous  paraphernalia 
of  a gorgeous  worship  make  a resplendent  display. 
The  comely  walls  with  heavily  tiled  roofs,  the  broad, 
granite-lined  water-channels  outside,  along  which  the 
water  ripples  brightly,  the  massive  gateways  which 
give  access  to  the  temple-courts,  the  gardens  with  their 
bridges,  artificial  lakes  and  islands,  the  luxurious  pleas- 
ure-grounds of  the  summer  palace  of  an  ancient  SliQgun, 
and  the  imposing  group  formed  by  the  twin  temples, 
with  their  background  of  enormous  trees,  are  among 
the  vastest  sights  of  Kiyoto. 

The  sky  was  murky  and  threatening,  a drift  of  brown 


244 


UNBEATEN  TRACKS  IN  JAPAN. 


cloud  lay  across  Hiyeizan,  occasional  gusts  of  wind 
lifted  the  sand  in  the  temple-courts,  and  the  gloom 
seemed  to  suit  these  grand  structures  of  an  ancient 
faith.  In  the  stately  courts  there  were  neither  priests 
nor  worshippers,  and  I shivered  as  I crossed  them, 
guided  by  my  /rar?ma-runner,  to  whom  the  utterance 
of  the  simple  word  Akamatz  conveyed  my  wishes.  He 
deposited  me  at  the  side  of  the  great  temple,  where  a 
flight  of  steps  led  up  to  a small  room  where  two  priests 
were  writing,  and  there,  taking  off  my  boots,  I waited 
for  the  “ English-speaking  priest.”  I was  disappointed 
with  his  appearance.  He  is  barely  five  feet  high,  and 
decidedly  ill-favoured,  with  hair  about  an  inch  long, 
very  bristly,  a bristly  black  mustache,  and  bristly 
scanty  beard.  His  brow,  however,  is  fine,  and  his  65*68 
are  bright  and  keen.  He  wore  a cassock  of  figured 
blue  brocade,  a deep  chasuble  of  figured  brown  silk 
grenadine,  and  a stole  of  crimson  cloth  of  gold,  and 
carried  a brown  rosary  in  his  left  hand.  In  describing 
Buddhist  vestments,  it  is  impossible  to  avoid  drifting 
into  the  use  of  terms  by  which  the  vestments  in  the 
Roman  Church  are  knovn.  Akamatz  is  very  gentle- 
manly and  courteous,  speaks  English  remarkably  well, 
with  great  vigour  of  expression,  and  talked,  as  it 
seemed  to  me,  with  surprising  frankness.  He  took  me 
over  the  temples,  and  showed  me  all  that  was  to  be 
seen.  My  %dsit  lasted  for  three  hours,  and  I would 
gladly  have  made  it  longer,  I was  so  deeply  interested 
with  his  mind  and  conversation. 

This  great  temple  of  Nishi-Honguwanji  may  be  re- 
garded as  the  cathedral  of  the  IMonto  sect,^  and  the 

1 The  statements  concerning  the  Monto  sect  and  its  tenets,  which 
are  given  in  this  Letter,  rest  on  the  authority  of  Mr.  Akamatz.  I have 
not  met  a European  whose  information  on  tbe  subject  is  sufficient  to 
enable  me  to  judge  of  their  accuracy  ; Imt  tlie  cliaracter  of  this  priest 
stands  very  high,  and  there  is  no  reason  to  suppose  that  he  misinformed 


me 


A MONTO  ALTAR. 


245 


Abbot  or  High  Priest  and  its  other  dignitaries  repre- 
sent Bishop,  Dean,  and  Chapter.  They  are  at  the 
head  of  10,000  Monto  temples,  whose  financial  and 
ecclesiastical  concerns  they  manage,  and  whose  patron- 
age they  dispense.  There  are  100  priests  here,  besides 
acolytes,  but  much  of  their  business  is  secular.  They 
look  very  unlike  ordinary  “ bonzes,"'  because  of  their 
hair  and  beards,  and  there  is  little  of  the  stupid  oi 
sanctimonious  expression  which  is  usual  on  the  faces 
of  Buddhist  priests.  Their  creed  does  not  require  any- 
thing like  asceticism  or  separation  from  the  duties  and 
delights  of  other  men,  and  in  so  much  is  healthier  and 
more  human. 

We  walked  round  the  outside  of  the  public  rooms, 
which  are  numerous,  large,  and  lofty,  by  a deep  corridor, 
from  which  we  saw  the  interior,  through  the  open  skoji, 
and  the  dull  gleam  of  rich  dead  gold  hinted  of  the 
artistic  treasures  within.  For  in  these  dimly -lighted 
rooms,  most  of  which  have  been  set  apart  for  guests  for 
centuries,  there  are  paintings  nearly  300  years  old,  and 
the  walls  are  either  panelled  in  gold,  or  are  formed  of 
fusuma,  heavily  overlaid  with  gold-leaf,  on  wlrich,  in  the 
highest  style  of  Japanese  art,  are  depicted  various  sacred 
emblems  — the  lotus,  the  stork,  the  peony,  and  the 
Cleyera  Japonica  — executed  very  richly  and  beauti- 
fully with  slightly  conventionalised  fidelity  to  nature. 
From  thence  we  passed  into  the  great  temple,  the  sim- 
ple splendour  of  which  exceeds  an3rthing  I have  yet 
seen.  The  vast  oblong  space  has  a flat  roof,  supported 
on  many  circular  pillars  of  finely-planed  wood  ; a third 
part  is  railed  off  for  the  sanctuary ; the  panels  of  the 
folding-doors  and  the  panels  at  the  back  are  painted 
with  flowers  on  a gold  ground;  behind  a Uack  lacquer 
altar  stands  a shrine  of  extreme  splendour,  gleaming  in 
the  coloured  twilight;  but  on  the  high  altar  itself  there 


246 


UNBEATEN  TRACKS  IN  JAPAN. 


were  oaly  two  candlesticks,  two  vases  of  pure  white 
chiysanthemiims,  and  a glorious  bronze  incense  burner. 
An  incense  burner  was  the  only  object  on  the  low  altar. 
Besides  these  there  were  six  black  lacquer  desks,  on 
each  desk  a roll  of  litanies,  and  above  the  altar  six 
liimps  burned  low.  It  was  imposingly  magnificent. 

As  handsome  as  a Monto  altar,”  is  a proverbial  say- 
ing. This  sect  rejects  images  and  aU  sensuous  para- 
phernalia addressed  to  the  popular  taste,  and,  according 
to  Mr.  Akamatz,  teaches  “ the  higher  Life  ” by  the  rnle 
of  the  Scriptures,  which,  written  in  characters  of  the 
unlearned,  and  in  the  tongue  of  the  common  people, 
“are  able  to  make  them  wise  ” unto  a salvation  which 
can  only  be  obtained  by  purity  and  righteousness. 
Furthermore,  it  teaches  that  the  maxims  and  doctrines 
promulgated  by  the  other  sects  are  corruptions  of  the 
truth ; that  celibate  vows,  fasting,  and  abstinence  from 
the  moderate  use  of  the  good  things  of  life,  are  inven- 
tions of  the  vanity  or  superstition  of  men ; that  a mar- 
ried priesthood  is  the  best  conservator  of  the  pnrity  of 
society ; and  that  priestcraft,  in  the  ordinary  sense,  is  a 
delusion  and  a snare.  Their  sons,  if  not  by  birth,  at  all 
events  by  adoption  from  the  family  of  another  priest, 
succeed  them,  and  formerly,  in  time  of  war,  they  have 
laid  aside  their  robes,  put  on  armour,  and  formed  them- 
selves into  battalions. 

We  passed  by  a covered  bridge  into  the  other  temple, 
in  which  the  principal  object  is  a gorgeous  sluine,  in 
which  Sakya-muni  stands  with  his  hands  folded,  looking 
:almiy  down  upon  flowers,  candles,  and  an  incense 
burner,  as  calmly  as  he  looks  upon  thousands  of  wor- 
shippers on  festal  days,  the  spiritual  children  of  those 
who,  for  2000  years,  have  called  him  blessed.  In  front 
of  the  altar  there  was  a stand  vfith  four  i\IS.  rolls  upon 
it,  “ the  original  words  of  Buddha.”  Besides  this  there 


NIBVANA. 


247 


was  nothing,  and  in  the  vast,  dim  temple,  only  a man 
and  woman  knelt  at  the  sanctuary  rails,  telling  their 
beads  with  a look  of  extreme  devotion,  and  the  low 
murmur,  Namu  amida  Butsu,"  thrilled  plaintively 
through  the  stillness ; and  it  was  as  thrilling  to  hear 
the  priest,  in  presence  of  the  symbols  of  his  faith,  dis» 
coursing  on  its  mysteries. 

He  either  could  not  or  did  not  care  to  answer  many 
of  my  questions  regarding  the  symbolisms  of  ritual. 
He  said  he  was  not  acquainted  with  the  details  of  the 
other  sects.  I asked  the  meaning  of  the  universal  re- 
currence of  the  lotus.  “ The  lotus,”  he  said,  “ is  purity ; 
with  its  fair  blossom  it  grows  out  of  slime  and  mud,  so 
righteousness  grows  out  of  the  filth  of  the  human 
heart.”  As  to  the  differences  among  the  Buddhist 
sects,  he  said,  “ Their  doctrines  differ  as  widely  from 
each  other  as  do  those  of  Christians ; but  as  you  all 
believe  in  one  God  and  Christ,  so  all  Buddhists  agree 
in  reverence  for  Amida,  and  in  belief  in  immortality 
and  in  the  transmigration  of  souls.”  He  said,  “You 
aie  limited  by  your  ‘ Creator ; ’ we  do  not  believe  in  any 
creator,  but  that  spirit  (eternal)  produced  atoms,  which, 
by  what  in  English  you  w'ould  call  ‘ fortuitous  combina- 
tion,’ produce  all  we  see.  Buddha  is  not,  as  your  God, 
supreme,  but  above  all.  When  you  die  you  do  not  be- 
come gods,  but  we  become  Buddhas.”  I said  that  I 
saw  bronze  and  stone  Buddhas  everywhere,  wfith  faces 
on  which  stagnation  is  depicted,  and  from  wliich  all 
human  emotion  is  banished  ; Buddha  is  not  sleeping  or 
waking  or  thinking,  he  exists  only.  “ Even  so,”  he 
answered ; “ the  end  of  righteousness  is  rest.  Nirvana 
cannot  be  easily  explained.  You  ask.  Is  it  absorption  ? 
I answer  Yes  and  No.  It  may  be  termed  absorption, 
yet  not  altogether  so ; individuality  may  cease,  but 
individual  consciousness  may  remain  latent  — the  eter* 


248 


UNBEATEN  TRACKS  IN  JAB  AN. 


ual  ages  are  long.  You  have  not  in  your  language  the 
words  by  which  I could  speak  more  clearly  of  Nirvana. 
iMisery  is  the  very  essence  of  all  life.  To  attain  Nirva- 
na is  to  be  delivered  from  the  merciless  necessity  ol 
being  born  again,  to  reach  a state  ‘in  which  there  are 
neither  ideas,  nor  a consciousness  of  the  absence  of  ideas.’ 
This  is  life  in  death,  or  death  in  life ; English  has  no 
words  for  it.”  I asked  him  what  the  objects  of  the 
Buddhist  faith  are,  and  he  answered  unhesitatingly, 
“ To  make  men  pure,  and  to  keep  alive  belief  in  the 
immortality  of  the  soul,  which  is  the  basis  of  all  right- 
eousness. Buddha  is  incarnate  in  all  good  deeds.  If 
I am  indolent  and  stay  in  my  room,  I am  myself ; if  I 
rise  and  preach  righteousness,  I am  Buddha.” 

Speaking  on  such  themes  in  the  temples  and  galler- 
ies, I hardly  noticed  where  we  were  tending,  till,  cross- 
ing a bridge  and  passing  through  some  buildings,  I 
found  that  we  were  in  the  most  exquisite  garden  that 
I have  seen  in  Japan,  a fairy-like  creation,  small,  but 
seeming  large,  and  well  worthy  to  be  the  retreat  of  one 
of  the  greatest  of  the  ShSguns.  There  were  fountains 
and  a small  lake,  over  whose  clear  waters,  tlirough 
which  large  gold-fish  were  glancing,  hung  the  fantastic 
balconies  of  Hiddyoshi’s  summer  palace,  an  irregular 
three-storeyed  building  of  most  picturesque  appearance. 
Small  stone  bridges  cross  the  water,- winding  paths  in 
deep  shade  lead  to  unexpected  summer-houses,  enor- 
mous trees  give  stateliness,  the  huge  roofs  of  the  tem- 
ples rise  above  the  shady  foreground,  scarlet  maples  are 
reflected  scarlet  in  the  motionless  water,  the  quaint 
trunks  and  dark  green  fronds  of  the  cycas  rise  out  of 
rocky  islets ; and  the  whole  was  solemnised  by  a dark 
November  sky.  We  passed  the  end  of  the  lake  on  a 
stone  terrace  and  entered  the  Sh6gun’s  retreat,  which 
is  fantastically  arranged  with  steep,  narrow  staii’cases, 


HIDETOSni’S  SUMMEJi  PALACE.  24 tJ 

nefarious-looking  roomlets,  irregular  balconies,  large 
rooms  with  deep  recesses,  and  a small,  singular-looking 
chamber,  used  for  the  mysterious  rites  of  cha-no-yu,  or 
tea-meetings.  Two  attendants,  silent  like  all  else,  were 
waiting  to  draw  aside  the  shoji,  that  I might  see  the 
different  beautiful  views  on  the  different  storeys,  the 
most  beautiful,  to  my  thinking,  being  the  enchanted- 
looking  garden,  with  the  grand  curved  roofs  of  the  tem- 
ples above  the  stately  trees,  and  the  blotches  of  scar  let 
in  the  lake  below. 

Tea  and  bonbons  were  served  on  a gold  lacquer  tray 
in  antique  Kaga  cups,  by  these  noiseless  attendants,  in 
the  large  room  of  the  summer  palace,  with  its  dark 
posts  and  ceiling  and  dull  gleams  of  dead  gold,  the 
little  light  there  was  falling  on  the  figure  of  the  priest 
in  his  vestments,  as  he  still  discoursed  on  his  faith. 
The  solemnity  was  nearly  oppressive,  and  the  deserted 
palace,  the  representative  of  a dead  faith  (for  dead  it 
surely  is),  the  deepening  gloom,  the  sighing  of  a doleful 
wind  among  the  upper  branches,  the  rattling  of  the 
shoji,  the  low  boom  of  the  temple  drum  in  the  distance, 
and  the  occasional  sound  of  litanies  wafted  on  the  wail- 
ing breeze,  wrought  on  me  so  like  a spell,  that  I felt  as 
if  I were  far  from  the  haunts  of  living  men.  It  was 
not  this  alone,  but  I was  entangled  in  a web  of  meta- 
physics, or  lost  in  chaos  where  nothing  had  form,  and 
birth  and  death  succeeded  each  other  through  endless 
eternities,  life  with  misery  for  its  essence,  death  onlj* 
the  portal  to  re-birth  into  new  misery,  and  so  on  in 
interminable  cycles  of  unsatisfying  change,  till  at  last 
righteousness  triumphs,  and  the  soul  being  born  into 
misery  no  more,  reaches  its  final  goal  in  oractical  anni- 
hilation. 

Mr.  Akamatz  said  a great  deal  about  transmigration, 
in  which  he  avowed  his  implicit  belief  as  an  essentia] 


250 


UNBEATEN  TRACKS  IN  JAPAN. 


article  of  faith.  I asked  him  if  the  pure,  on  d}  'mg 
pass  into  Nirvana,  which  appears  to  me  but  a synonym 
for  negation.,  a conception  impossible  to  the  western 
mind.  “Where  are  the  pure?”  he  replied.  Then  I 
asked  him  if  those  who  die  unrighteous  pass  into  the 
divers  torments  figured  on  the  kakemonos  of  the  Chi- 
onin  temple  for  a period  of  purification?  “No,”  he 
said,  “their  spirits  undergo  metempsychosis,  they  are 
re-born  into  the  bodies  of  animals.”  I suggested  that 
this  shut  out  all  hope  of  purification,  as  they  were  then 
out  of  reach  of  all  teaching  and  good  influences.  “ Not 
so,  for  Buddha  becomes  incarnate  in  other  animals,  and 
conveys  to  them  such  teaching  as  they  can  receive.  If 
the  torments  of  the  Chionin  hells  are  the  end  of  all  to 
some,  who  knows?  the  eternal  ages  are  long.”  You 
cannot  imagme  the  profound  melancholy  of  this  refrain, 
which  occurred  at  least  six  times  in  the  priest's  conver- 
sation, “ long  ” in  the  dreary  past,  and  “ long  ” in  the 
dreary  future,  man  walking  “ in  a vain  show  ” through 
cycles  of  misery  to  a goal  of  annihilation.  So  have 
Sakya-muni  and  his  followers  taught  for  more  than 
2000  years,  and  so  teaches  this  most  enlightened  priest 
of  this  most  enlightened  sect,  who  having  studied  Chris- 
tianity and  the  philosophies  of  East  and  West,  has  no 
better  hope  than  “ not  to  be.” 

I asked  him  his  opinion  of  the  present  religious  state 
of  Japan,  and  after  very  much  interesting  conversation, 
he  summed  up  thus : — “ ShintOism  is  truly  the  rudest 
form  of  nature  worship,  slightly  embellished  by  Confu- 
cian  and  Buddhist  contact.  As  a rehgion  it  is  dead,  as 
a political  engine  it  is  failing,  it  never  had  life.  Buddh- 
ism was  once  strong,  it  is  now  weak,  it  may  or  may 
not  revive.  Its  ’^dtal  truths  — purity,  metempsychosis, 
and  immortality,  cannot  die.”  I told  him  that,  in  spite 
of  certain  superstitious  observances,  I could  not  but  re- 


THE  PROSPECTS  OF  CHRISTIANITY. 


251 


gard  the  Japanese  as  a most  irreligious  people.  “ It  is 
so  now,”  he  said.  “ The  Coufucian  philosophy  spread 
rapidly  long  ago  among  the  higher  classes,  and  edu- 
cated and  thinking  men  denied  immortality,  and  be- 
came what  you  would  call  materialists.  Gradually 
their  unbelief  sank  downwards  through  the  heimin.,  and 
there  is  little  real  belief  in  Japan,  though  m;ich  super- 
stition still  exists.”  1 asked  him  if  his  sect  addressed 
itself  specially  to  the  upper  classes.  “ Pure  Buddhism 
knows  no  classes,”  he  said ; “ Buddha  was  what  you 
call  a democrat.  All  souls  are  equal,  all  men  by  right- 
eousness can  become  Buddhas.  Your  Christ  was  a 
democrat,  and  desired  to  make  of  men  a brotherhood, 
but  you  ha\m  one  doctrine  for  rich  and  one  for  poor, 
and  one  church  for  rich,  into  which  poor  cannot  enter, 
and  one  for  poor,  where  you  teach  men  to  obey  the 
rich;  this  is  not  our  way.”  I asked  him  what  he 
thought  of  the  prospects  of  Cdiristianity  in  Japan,  and 
among  much  else  he  said,  “ There  have  been  missiona- 
ries called  Protestants  in  Japan  for  fifteen  3mars,  there 
are  now  over  100,  and  thej"  count  IGOO  baptized  per- 
sons. The  college  here  is  sending  out  young  saynurai 
to  preach,  very  ardent,  and  well  equipped  for  teaching ; 
Christianity  may  make  great  progress  in  some  of  the 
country  parts  of  Japan,  for  many  are  weary.,  weary., 
iveary,  and  it  is  easy,  and  they  will  be  disposed  to  receive 
it'  but  not  in  the  large  towns.”  This  corresponds 
closely  with  Mr.  Neesima’s  opinion  on  the  same  subject. 
I asked  him  what  he  considered  the  most  prevalent 
“ unrighteousnesses  ” among  his  countrymen,  and  he 
gave  the  repl}'  which  I have  mentioned  as  having  been 
given  me  three  times  before,  “ truthlessness  and  licen- 
tiousness.” 

After  speaking  a great  deal  of  the  demerits  of  Chris- 
tianity, he  said  that  he  consideri'd  that  a far  more  pow- 


252 


UNBEATEN  TRACKS  IN  JAPAN. 


erful  mflueuce  than  it  is  now  working  in  Japan  in  “ the 
English  philosophy,”  as  taught  by  Mill,  Herbert  Spen- 
cer, and  others,  while  the  scientific  writings  of  Huxley, 
and  Darwin’s  Origin  of  Species.,  are  stimulating  inqui- 
ries “ which  Christianity  cannot  answer.”  These  books 
are  translated,  and  the  higher  education,  rapidly  extend- 
ing, is  enabling  the  young  men  to  acquaint  themselves 
witlj  a wide  range  of  similar  works  in  English.  Besides 
this,  he  said,  there  are  English,  Scotch,  and  German 
teachers  who  assail  Christianity  openly  in  their  lec- 
tures, and  teach  an  undisguised  materialism.  “ The 
Confucian  philosophy  is  being  rapidly  replaced  here  by 
your  English  philosophy,”  he  said.  “ This  philosophy  is 
threatening  your  beliefs  at  home,  your  priests  are  adapt- 
ing their  teaching,  perhaps  their  creeds,  to  it.  Crod  and 
immortality  are  quickly  disappearing  in  England.,  so  men 
grow  more  wicked,  and  despise  your  doctrines  of  purity, 
which  are  not  consistent.  Jesus  Christ  is  first  aban- 
doned, yet  men  say  they  believe  in  God,  yet  not  as 
Creator  but  Father,  then  they  no  longer  believe  in  God, 
It  may  be  well  just  now,  but  it  will  not  be  well  soon, 
for  without  immortality  there  will  be  no  righteousness. 
In  Japan  tliis  philosophy  threatens  both  Buddhism  and 
Christianity ; it  is  your  own  philosophy  wdiich  Christi- 
anity will  have  to  fight  here  among  the  educated,  and 
not  ShintS  or  Buddhism.  Buddhism  may  yet  re^five  ; 
it  teaches  men  purity,  it  shows  that  the  end  of  right- 
eousness is  rest ; purity  is  the  plain  road  to  rest ; tlie 
moral  teachings  of  Buddha  are  higher  than  those  of 
Chnst.  Christ’s  precepts  are  powerless.  Do  men  keep 
them  in  England?”  Mr.  Akamatz  said  a great  deal 
that  was  very  mteresting  regarding  the  tendencies  of 
religious  thought  in  England.  He  has  deeply  studied 
one  or  two  braTiches  of  our  literature,  and  is  evidently 
a deep,  though  a metaplwsical,  thinker,  as  well  as  a stu- 


A QUESTION. 


253 


dent  of  Christianity.  Can  this  priest,  who  is  regarded 
as  the  ablest  and  most  enlightened  man  in  the  Buddhist 
hierarchy,  truly  believe  in  his  own  metaphysics  and  in 
the  doctrine  of  prolonged  metempsychosis? 

It  was  twilight  when  we  left  the  palace  of  Hid^yoshi 
and  returned  to  the  vast,  dim  temple,  where  four  lamps, 
burning  low,  feebly  lit  the  gorgeousness  of  the  sanctu- 
ary and  the  figure  of  Buddha,  serene  for  ever  within 
his  golden  shrine.  Is  it  the  Hindu  teacher  in  his  pas- 
sionless repose,  who,  from  the  dimness  of  the  dead  ages, 
offers  men  an  immortality  of  unconsciousness,  or  is  it 
the  eternal  Son  of  God,  the  living  Brother  of  our  hu- 
manity, who  in  the  living  present  offers  to  “ the  weary  ” 
rest  and  service  in  an  endless  life,  and  fellowship  in  His 
final  triumph  over  evil,  who  shall  mould  the  religious 
future  of  Japan?  I.  L.  B. 


254 


UNBEATEN  TRACKS  IN  JAPAN. 


ARTISTIC  TASTES. 

Kiy6to  Shopping  — Artistic  Patterns  — Solitude  in  Decoration — A 
Japanese  Etag'ere  — Honest  Work  — Vitiation  of  Japanese  Art  — 
Kiyoto  Brocades  — The  Board  of  Industries  — The  New  Hospital 

Nijosan  Yashiki,  Kiyoto. 

The  “ elegant  repose  ” of  Kiyoto  degenerates  into 
wearisome  dawdling  in  the  shops.  They  are  slower 
than  anywhere  else.  One  can  hardly  buy  the  merest 
trifle  in  less  than  an  horn-.  Three  or  four  men  and 
sharp,  business-like  boys  squat  on  the  floor  round  a 
hibachi,  with  two  or  three  wooden  basins  for  money, 
se  reral  ledgers  and  ink  boxes,  and  a soroban  or  two 
among  them.  They  offer  you  the  tabako-bon  and  pro- 
duce tea  after  every  little  purchase  ; and  if  I go  with  a 
Japanese,  they  waste  more  time  in  asking  my  age,  in- 
come, where  my  husband  is,  if  I am  “learned,”  and 
where  I have  been. 

But  the  beauty  of  the  things  in  many  of  the  small, 
dingy  shops  is  wonderful.  Kiyoto  is  truly  the  home  of 
art.  There  are  wide  mousseline  de  laines,  with  patterns 
on  them  of  the  most  wild!}"  irregular  kind,  but  so  artis- 
tic in  grace  of  form  and  harmony  of  colour  that  I should 
like  to  hang  them  aU  up  merely  to  please  my  eyes. 
From  the  blaze  of  gold  and  silver  stuffs,  stiff  with  bul- 
lion, used  chiefly  for  ecclesiastical  purposes,  which  one 
sees  in  some  shops,  one  turns  for  rest  to  silk  brocades 
in  the  most  artistic  shades  of  brown,  green,  and  grey, 
with  here  and  there  a spray  or  figure  only  just  suggested 


SOLITUDE  IN  DECORATION. 


255 


in  colour  or  silver,  and  to  silk  cripes  so  exquisitely  fine 
that  four  widths  at  a time  can  be  drawn  through  a fin- 
ger ring,  and  with  soft  sprays  of  flowers  or  bamboo 
thrown  on  their  soft,  tinted  grounds  with  an  apparent 
carelessness  which  produces  ravishing  effects. 

If  I have  not  written  much  about  Japanese  art,  it  is 
not  that  I do  not  enjoy  it,  but  because  the  subject  is 
almost  stale.  I see  numbers  of  objects  everywhere, 
and  especially  here,  which  give  me  great  pleasure,  and 
often  more  than  pleasure.  It  is  not  alone  the  costly 
things  which  connoisseurs  buy,  but  household  furnishings 
made  for  peasant  use,  which  are  often  faultless  in  form, 
colour,  and  general  effect.  As  on  the  altars  and  on  the 
walls  of  Japanese  houses  you  see  a single  lotus,  iris, 
peony,  or  spray  of  wistaria ; so  on  cups,  vases,  or  lacquer 
made  for  Japanese  use  the  effect  of  solitary  decoration 
is  understood,  and  repetition  is  avoided.  Thus,  a spray 
of  bamboo,  a single  stork  among  reeds,  a faint  and 
almost  shadowy  suggestion  of  a bamboo  in  faint  green 
on  grey  or  cream,  or  a butterfly  or  grasshopper  on  a 
spray  of  cherry  blossom,  is  constantly  the  sole  decora- 
tion of  a tray,  vase,  or  teapot,  tin-own  on  with  apparent 
carelessness  in  some  unexpectedly  graceful  position. 
Instead  of  the  big  birds  and  trees  and  great  blotchy 
clouds  in  gold  paint,  which  disfigure  lacquer  made  for 
the  English  market,  true  Kiyoto  lacquer,  made  for  those 
who  love  it,  is  adorned  mainly  with  suggested  sprays  of 
the  most  feathery  species  of  bamboo,  or  an  indicatu  n 
of  the  foliage  of  a pine,  or  a moon  and  light  clouds,  all 
on  a ground  of  golden  mist.  There  are  few  shops 
which  have  not  on  their  floors  just  now  some  thorougiily 
enjoyed  spray  of  bamboo,  or  reddening  maple,  or  two  or 
three  chiysanthemums  in  some  exquisite  creation  of 
bronze  or  china. 

The  highest  art  and  some  unspeakably  low  things  go 


256 


UNBEATEN  TBACKS  IN  JAPAN. 


together,  but  every  Japanese  seems  born  with  a singular 
perception  of,  and  love  of  beauty  or  prettiness.  The 
hundreds  of  shops  in  Kiyoto,  in  which  numbers  of 
beautiful  objects  are  carefully  arranged,  are  bewildering. 
I long  to  buy  things  for  all  my  friends  at  home,  but 
either  they  would  despise  them,  or  huddle  them  together 
with  other  things  in  or  on  some  vile  piece  of  upholstery ! 
You  should  see  a real  Japanese  Stag  ere  of  plain  black 
lacquer  of  flawless  polish,  with  irregular  shelves  curi- 
ously arranged,  and  a very  few  real  treasures  displayed 
upon  it,  in  order  to  learn  Japanese  tastefulness. 

Inlaid  bronze,  or  bronze  with  flowers  in  silver  or  gold 
relief,  is  one  of  the  most  beautiful  manufactures  of 
KiyCto.  I saw  a pair  of  vases  a foot  high  to-day  at  one 
of  the  workshops  fostered  by  the  Government,  which 
were  simply  perfect,  copied  from  one  in  the  imperial 
treasury  at  Nara.  An  English  workman  who  “ scamps  ” 
his  work,  and  turns  out  a piece  of  original  vulgarity,  or 
a badly  executed  imitation  of  a real  work  of  art,  should 
see  what  honest,  careful,  loving  labour  does  here  in  per- 
fection of  finish  for  one  shilling  a day.  It  is  true  that 
work  at  which  a Japanese  would  hardly  look  passes 
muster  with  foreigners.  1 went  with  Mr.  Noguchi  to- 
day  to  the  Awata  pottery,  where  200  men  are  employed 
in  making  a cream-coloured,  crackled  waae  for  exporta- 
tion, and  there  wasted  two  and  a half  hours  in  buying 
a tea-service,  not  only  because  tea  and  the  tahako-bon 
were  introduced  so  often,  but  because,  being  made  for 
the  English  market,  nearly  all  the  cups  were  crowded 
with  gaudy  butterflies,  and  there  was  scarcely  a cup  rr 
saucer  that  was  perfectly  circular. 

I cannot  join  in  the  uncritical  admiration  of  modern 
Japanese  art  which  is  fashionable  in  some  quarters.  The 
human  figure  is  always  badly  drawn,  and  the  represen- 
tations of  it  are  grotesque  and  exaggerated.  Japanese 


THE  BOARD  OF  INDUSTRIES. 


257 


sculpture  is  nearly  always  caricature,  and  even  as  such 
is  deficient  in  accuracy  and  delicacy  of  finish.  Gener- 
ally, in  their  best  modern  productions,  they  do  but  imi- 
tate themselves,  and  an  attempt  to  please  the  western 
buyer  results  in  lacquer  overburdened  with  expensive 
ornament,  gorgeous  screens  heavy  with  coarse  gilding, 
Rnd  glaringly  m congruous  painting,  or  costly  embroider- 
ies in  silks  of  harsh,  crude  colours,  cliina  overloaded 
with  colour,  pattern,  and  gilding,  and  bronzes  crowded 
with  incongruous  collections  of  men  and  beasts,  all  the 
work  of  the  craftsman,  and  not  of  the  artist. 

In  order  to  correct  the  tendencies  to  imperfect  copy- 
ing, and  degradation  of  true  Japanese  art,  the  Govern- 
ment of  Kiybto  has  established  a “ Board  for  the  Pro- 
motion of  Industries,”  which  is  doing  most  praiseworthy 
work  in  raising  the  standard  of  excellence  in  silk  weav- 
ing, and  in  the  making  of  bronze,  porcelain,  and  embroi- 
dery. It  has  also  established  schools  in  which  appren 
tices  are  taught  different  trades  under  teachers  paid  by 
Government,  and  in  every  way  is  trjdng  to  elevate  the 
productions  of  the  native  manufacturers.  I spent  a 
very  interesting  day  with  Mr.  Noguchi  among  the 
Nishigin  silk  weavers,  and  the  bronze  and  porcelain 
makers.  There  are  silks  and  brocades  just  now  on  the 
looms  in  Nishigin  which  would  make  a Frenchman  die 
of  despair,  and  these  exquisite  productions  are  made  in 
imperfectly  lighted  and  verj^  small  rooms,  where  four  or 
five  weavers  at  most  are  throwing  heart  and  soul  into 
their  work.  There  was  one  brocade  for  a girdle  thirty- 
two  inches  wide,  of  rich  silk  of  a soft  grey  tint.  On  it 
ivere  thrown  with  artistic  grace  very  slight  sprays  of 
bamboo  in  silver,  with  their  shadows  in  a darker  shade 
of  grey  than  the  ground.  It  was  a picture  in  itself,  and 
only  one  of  several  almost  equally  beautiful.  The 
bronze  workshops,  which  turn  out  such  beautiful  and 


UNBEATEN  TRACKS  IN  JAPAN. 


2r.8 


finished  works  of  art  as  were  sent  to  the  Paris  Exhibi- 
tion, are  no  better  than  ordinary  blacksmith’s  shops,  and 
the  appliances  are  of  the  rudest  description. 

This  same  “ Board  of  Industries  ” has  established 
female  industrial  schools,  to  one  of  which  I went  with 
Mr.  Noguchi,  and  saw  some  very  beautiful  Japanese 
rugs  being  made  to  order.  These  schools  are  of  two 
grades,  one  under  Imperial  patronage  for  the  daughters 
of  the  nobility  and  gentry,  the  other,  which  has  500 
pupils,  mostly  day  boarders,  for  joro-gixh,,  geishas,  and 
tea-house  servants,  the  attendance  of  the  two  former 
classes  being  compulsory  during  certain  hours,  the  fees 
for  instruction  being  deducted  from  their  wages.  The 
teaching  includes  music,  dancing,  needlework  of  all 
kinds,  reading,  writing,  and  the  use  of  the  soroban,  to- 
gether with  silk-reeling,  the  weaving  of  Japanese  rugs, 
and  the  preparation  of  wadding  as  the  lining  for 
clothes.  In  the  school  for  the  higher  classes  the  great- 
est attention  is  paid  to  deportment  and  to  all  the  punc- 
tilious observances  of  Japanese  etiquette  for  ladies,  and 
the  result  is  a grace  and  winning  courtesy  on  the  part 
of  the  pupils,  which  are  most  truly  fascinating. 

Many  of  the  white,  semi-foreign  buildings  which  jar 
upon  the  intense  nationality  of  Kiyfito,  are  elementary 
schools,  of  which  there  are  445  in  the  Fu,  Every  city 
district  is  obliged  to  establish  and  maintain  one  of 
these,  except  in  the  case  of  very  poor  districts,  where 
two  are  allowed  to  unite.  In  these  the  pupils  are 
taught  foreign  history,  “philosophy,”  geography,  and 
mathematics,  besides  passing  through  the  Chinese  clas- 
sics, and  the  usual  course  of  Japanese  study. 

One  of  the  finest  novelties  here  is  the  scarcely-fin- 
ished hospital,  which  has  a very  fine  situation,  and  large 
grounds  surrounded  by  a wall,  outside  of  which  is  a 
stream  of  swiftly-running  clear  water.  The  hosp’tal  is 


THE  NEW  HOSPITAL. 


25H 


composed  of  several  tv^o-storeyed  buildings,  w\tl.\  deep 
verandahs  round  each,  and  has  the  most  approved 
arrangements  for  ventilation  and  general  wholesome- 
ness. It  has  cost  a great  deal,  but  the  money  is  most 
worthily  spent,  as  the  buildmg  will  not  only  receive  600 
patients,  but  will  be  equipped  as  efficiently  as  possible 
as  a medical  school. 

With  its  schools,  hospitals,  lunatic  asylum,  prisons, 
dispensaries,  alms-houses,  fountains,  public  parks  and 
gardens,  exquisitely  beautiful  cemeteries,  and  streets  of 
almost  painful  cleanliness,  Kiy6to  is  the  best-arranged 
and  best-managed  city  in  Japan.  I.  L.  B. 


UNBEATEN  T RAVES  IN  JAPAN. 


2ti0 


UJI. 

Hugging  a Hibachi  — A Japanese  “ Institution”  — Industrious  Pov- 
erty — Uji  Tea-houses  — Tea-making  — Our  First  Evening  — Nara 
— A Treasury  of  Antiquities  — A Eow  of  Petitioners  — Inappro- 
priate Travelling  Gear  — A Shrine  of  Pilgrimage  — An  Ancient 
Monastery  — A Trudge  through  Mud  — Higenashi  — Mushroom 
Culture  — Roughing  it  — The  High  Road  — A Rubbing  Stone. 

Yamaua,  PnoviNCE  OF  Isi,  November  10. 

A JOURNEY  of  five  days  has  brought  us  here  to  the 
celebrated  Is^  shrines.  The  weather  began  by  being 
bad,  but  has  improved,  and  though  the  impassable  state 
of  the  roads  prevented  us  from  visiting  the  monastery 
of  Koyeisan  and  the  castle  of  Takatori,  we  have  passed 
through  lovely  scenery,  much  of  wliich  is  altogether 
Arcadian,  and  Mrs.  Gulick  is  an  excellent  travelling 
companion,  uniformly  cheerful,  unselfish,  kind,  and  in- 
terested, and  we  have  been  fortunate  in  kiiruma-iun- 
ners,  accommodation,  and,  indeed,  in  everytliing  but  the 
weather  of  the  three  first  days.  As  compared  with  the 
rough,  unkempt  regions  of  Northern  Japan,  tliis  is  a 
highly  luxuiious  country,  and  as  fleas  and  mosquitoes 
are  either  dead  or  in  winter  quarters,  there  is  really 
little  to  complain  of.  The  splendour  of  the  colouring 
is  very  great  at  this  season,  and  as  the  aforesaid  pests 
are  absent,  this  would  really  be  the  best  tune  for  trav- 
elling in  Japan  if  it  were  not  for  the  intolerable  cold. 
Time  which  shoidd  be  usefully  occupied,  is  completely 
taken  up  in  hugging  a hibachi,  by  which  means  tie 


A JAPANESE  INSTITUTION.” 


261 


hands  and  chest  are  kept  tolerably  warm,  Avliile  the  rest 
of  the  body  is  shivering,  or  in  tenderly  piling  one  live 
ember  upon  another  with  toy  tongs,  the  size  of  large 
scissors.  The  last  resource  is  the  Icotatsu,  and,  casting 
dignity  aside,  I often  avail  myself  of  it.  This,  which 
is  a Japanese  “ institution,”  consists  of  a square,  wood- 
en frame,  standing  over  a basin  of  lighted  charcoal,  and 
supporting  a large  wadded  quilt  or  futon,  under  which 
you  creep,  and,  drawing  it  up  to  your  chin,  and  holding 
it  there,  you  spend  a warm,  lazy,  and  undignified  even- 
ing. Five  or  six,  or  even  more,  people  can  creep  under 
one,  and  I doubt  not  that  at  this  very  hour  half  the 
families  of  Japan  are  huddled  under  kotatsu. 

I must  reiterate  the  difference  between  a house,  as  we 
understand  it,  and  a house  in  Japan.  All  buildings 
consist  of  a raised  flooring,  vertical  beams,  and  a wood- 
en roof,  but  their  outer  walls  are  mainly  light  wooden 
frames,  with  paper  panes,  sliding  in  grooves,  enclosed 
at  night  by  wooden  shutters,  the  whole  being  merely  a 
porous  screen  from  the  inclemency  of  the  weather. 
Under  these  circumstances  the  invitation  to  creep  under 
the  kotatsu  is  as  welcome  as  the  “ sit  in  ” of  the  Scotch 
Highlands  or  the  “ put  your  feet  in  the  stove  ” of  Col- 
orado. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Gulick  and  I left  Kiy6to  at  eight  on 
the  5th  in  a grey-brown  drizzle,  and  reached  Nara  the 
same  night,  following  the  well-beaten  track  of  nearly 
all  foreigners  who  visit  the  old  capital,  halting  at  the 
celebrated  Inari  Temple  of  Fushimi,  formerly  a distinct 
town,  and  the  residence  of  Xavier,  and  celebrated  also 
for  the  final  defeat  of  the  ShSgun’s  army  in  1869.  We 
travelled  tlirough  seven  miles  of  continuous  streets 
before  we  got  into  the  country,  much  of  the  distance 
being  among  the  dwellings  of  the  poorest  classes ; but 
it  is  industrious  poverty,  without  vice  or  squalor,  and 


262 


UNBEATEN  TRACKS  IN  JAPAN. 


nearly  every  mean,  contracted,  dingy  abode  is  displa}- 
ing  at  least  one  great,  bulging  chi-ysantbemum,  such  as 
would  drive  the  Temple  gardener  wild  with  envy. 

We  C]'ossed  the  broad  Ujikawa,  which  runs  out  of 
Lake  Biwa,  by  a long  and  handsome  bridge,  and  went 
as  far  as  the  pretty  little  town  of  Uji,  which  has  some 
of  the  loveliest  tea-houses  in  Japan,  hanging  over  the 
broad  swift  river,  with  gardens  and  balconies,  fountains, 
stone  lanterns,  and  all  the  quaint  conv'entionalities 
wliich  are  so  harmonious  here.  These  tea-houses  are 
ceaselessly  represented  by  Japanese  art,  and  if  you  see 
a,  photograph  of  an  ideal  tea-house,  you  may  be  sure  it 
is  at  Uji.  We  got  an  exquisite  upper  room  in  one  of 
them  for  lunch,  looking  up  the  romantic  gorge  through 
which  the  river  cuts  its  way  from  Lake  Biwa,  and  over 
a miniature  garden  lighted  by  flaming  maples.  It  was 
altogether  ideal,  and  I felt  that  we  were  coarsely  real 
and  out  of  place ! I had  not  before  seen  a European 
man  in  one  of  these  fairy-like  rooms,  and  Mr.  Gulick 
being  exceptionally  tall,  seemed  to  fill  the  whole  room, 
and  to  have  any  number  of  arms  and  legs ! I knew 
that  the  tea-house  people  looked  at  us  with  disgust. 

The  tea-plant,  which  is  a camellia,  and  is  now  covered 
with  cream-white  blossoms  crowded  with  stamens  and 
faintly  fragrant,  is  very  pretty,  for  it  is  allowed  to  grow 
into  broad  bushes  fr'om  three  to  four  feet  high,  and  its 
rich  dark-green  masses  in  rows  contrast  well  with  the 
reddish  soil.  Uji  is  one  of  the  most  famous  of  the 
Japan  tea-districts,  and  its  people  told  us  that  two 
crops  a year  have  been  taken  from  the  same  shrubs  for 
300  years.  The  Japanese  say  that  tea  was  drunk  in 
the  Empire  in  the  ninth  century,  when  a Buddhist 
priest  brought  the  tea-seed  from  China ; but  it  seems 
that  its  cidture  died  out,  and  that  it  was  naturahsed  a 
second  time  in  the  twelfth  century,  when  a Buddhist 


OUB  FIRST  EVENING. 


263 


priest  again  brought  seed  from  China,  shortly  aftei 
which  tea  was  planted  at  Uji.  It  now  grows  all  over 
Japan,  except  in  Yezo,  and,  besides  being  the  great 
beverage  of  all  classes,  is  exported  annually  to  Amer- 
ica to  the  amount  of  about  16,000,000  pounds  from 
Yokohama  only.  I have  never  seen  any  tea  worth  less 
than  sixteenpence  a pound,  and  that  is  only  drunk  by 
the  poorer  classes.  The  Japanese  are  great  tea  epi- 
cures, and  the  best  tea  drunk  by  those  who  can  afford 
it  costs  thirteen  shillings  per  pound ! The  water  used 
for  tea-making  must  not  boil,  and  it  must  rest  barely  a 
minute  on  the  leaves,  or  the  result  will  be  bitter  and  as- 
tringent. The  infusion  is  a pale  straw  colour,  delicate 
and  delicious.  No  Japanese  would  touch  the  dark, 
rank  infusion  made  from  black  tea  which  we  like  so 
well.  To  drink  it  thus,  in  big  cups,  and  above  all  with 
milk,  they  regard  as  among  our  many  coarse  habits ! 

The  drizzle  turned  into  heavy  rain,  and  after  two 
hours  of  thorough  soaking  we  were  hurried  into  Nara 
in  the  darkness,  and  shot  out  of  our  kurumas  at  the 
first  yadoya  we  came  to,  the  men  evidently  not  being 
minded  to  run  farther.  It  was  a bad  inn,  with  old  mats, 
low  ceilings,  a throng  of  travellers,  and  no  end  of 
bad  smells.  There  I missed  Ito,  for  every  bit  of  bag- 
gage came  wet  into  my  room  with  muddy  wrappers  and 
straps.  Then  we  had  to  cook  our  “foreign  food”  — 
simple  stirabout — over  a miserable  hibacM.,  and  we  ate 
like  pigs  with  all  our  wet  and  muddy  things  lying 
about  us,  the  open  shoji  letting  in  the  view  of  aU  our 
coolies  bathing,  the  servant  crouching  on  the  floor,  and 
our  light,  a candle  stuck  into  a bottle.  Since  that 
night  we  have  been  in  comfortable  yadoyas,  and  our 
^MrMwia-runners  have  attended  to  our  baggage,  but  I 
always  miss  Ito  when  we  are  cooking  the  stirabout  over 
the  hibachi.  Moreover,  that  evening  I forgot  how  to 


264 


UNBEATEN  TRACKS  IN  JAPAN. 


make  it,  and  put  the  flour  into  boiling  milk,  and  the 
result  was  tough  lumps.  We  could  not  sleep  for  the 
closeness  of  the  air  and  the  general  restlessness  of  oui 
fellow-travellers ; but  it  was  almost  worth  lying  awake 
to  realize  the  fact  that  fleas  and  mosquitoes  are  at  an 
end  for  the  season. 

The  next  day  was  a murky  drizzle,  with  a tempera- 
Ume  at  70°,  but  in  spite  of  that  I enjoyed  the  sights  ol 
the  old  imperial  city,  in  which  seven  Mikados  reigned 
in  the  eighth  century.  People  differ  about  Kara.  Some 
of  m}'-  friends  rave  about  it,  others  run  it  down.  I 
thought  it  lovely  even  in  the  mist,  with  great  natural 
beauty  heightened  by  religious  art,  and  a grey  melan- 
choly of  arrested  decay,  winch  is  very  solemn.  Among 
the  many  interesting  things  are  a number  of  sacred 
deer,  wliich  wander  about  the  majestic  groves  and  ave- 
nues, and  foUow  one  about  greedily,  begging  for  cakes, 
which  their  pertinacity  compels  one  to  buy.  The  town, 
which  contains  over  21,000  people,  runs  along  the  slope 
of  a range  of  picturesque  hUls,  and  from  the  forest, 
which  in  part  resembles  a collection  of  our  finest  Eng- 
lish parks,  there  are  magnificent  views  over  the  ancient 
province  of  Yamato.  Every  one  bu3"s  images  of  the  sa- 
ci'ed  deer,  hair-pins  made  from  their  horns,  charms  and 
combs,  and  the  pilgrims,  who  come  in  great  numbers  to 
the  famous  ShintO  temple  of  Kasuga,  sling  these  upon 
their  girdles.  We  went  out  earl}^  and  spent  much  of 
the  day,  I cannot  say  in  sight-seeing,  but  in  enjo3'ing 
tlie  sights,  nearl3^  all  of  which  lie  in  the  magnificent 
park  or  forest  on  the  hiU,  and  are  mostl3^  connected 
with  religion. 

Among  the  most  curious  is  a monstrous  wooden  mag- 
azine, made  of  heavy  timbers,  laid  horizontal!  3',  sup- 
ported on  pillars  consisting  of  solid  trunks  of  trees 
eight  feet  high,  the  most  drearil3'  uncouth  building  that 


A TREASURY  OF  ANTIQUITIES. 


205 


can  be  imagined.  It  has  a most  singular  interest,  for  it 
was  built  for  the  safe  deposit  of  the  Mikado’s  furniture 
and  property,  just  before  the  Court  quitted  Nara  for 
KiySto  at  the  end  of  the  eighth  century,  and  is  said  to 
have  been  examined  every  sixty-first  year  since,  and 
repaired  when  necessary.  More  curious  still  is  the  fact 
that,  not  only  has  a wooden  building  escaped  the 
destructive  agencies  of  a thousand  years,  but  that  the 
actual  articles  mentioned  in  the  inventory  of  the  eighth 
century  are  there,  and  can  easil}^  be  distinguished  from 
later  accumulations.  There  was  an  exhibition  at  Nara 
not  long  ago,  and  a few  wonderful  things  from  the 
Imperial  Treasury  are  still  to  be  seen  at  the  rear  of 
the  great  temple,  but  among  the  objects  replaced  in 
the  monster  “ godown  ” were  screens,  pictures,  masks, 
books,  sculptures,  soap  in  round  cakes  the  size  of 
quoits,  copper  bowls  and  dishes,  beads  and  ornaments, 
tortoise-shell  “ back-scratchers,”  pottery  and  glass, 
dresses,  bells,  hats,  weapons,  and  utensils  of  various 
kinds,  bronzes,  writing  paper,  cla}^  statuettes,  wooden 
statues,  etc.  etc.  What  would  we  not  give  for  such  a 
collection  made  by  Charlemagne  or  Alfred  ? 

Mr.  Gulick  bargained  with  some  ^^mma-runners  to 
take  us  to  Miwa,  and  on  leaving  him  to  return  to  Kobe 
I was  amused  to  find  that  I have  gained  more  confi- 
dence in  Japanese  travelling  in  six  months  than  Mrs. 
Gulick  has  in  several  years,  and  she  felt  a good  deal  of 
trepidation  in  starting  upon  the  “unbeaten  track;” 
but  everything  has  gone  very  smoothly,  and  she  is 
enjoying  the  tour  as  much  as  I am.  We  reached  Miwa, 
a town  of  about  1200  people,  after  dark,  and  got  de- 
lightful accommodation  with  very  kindly  people  in  the 
npper  room  of  a kura,  with  a fine  view  of  an  avenue  of 
pine  trees,  whicfi.  leads  to  a famous  shrine  of  ShintS 
pilgrimage.  The  entertainment  of  pilgrims  seems  in- 


266 


UNBEATEN  TRACKS  IN  JAPAN. 


deed  the  great  business  of  Miwa.  As  Mrs.  Guliek 
speaks  Japanese,  we  are  always  on  very  sociable  terms 
with  our  hosts,  and  our  room  was  soon  filled  with  the 
hostess  and  her  daughters  and  servants,  besides  infants 
of  various  ages.  These  women  were  astonished  that 
we  wore  our  dresses  up  to  our  throats,  and  when  Mrs. 
Gulick  remarked  that,  according  to  our  ideas,  it  did 
not  look  womanly  or  “ correct  ” to  wear  them  as  they 
do,  open  to  their  girdles,  they  were  yet  more  surprised, 


MT  KUBtTMA-RUNNEB. 


and  as  each  new-comer  entered,  the  hostess  repeated  to 
her  this  singular  foreign  notion. 

Then  our  three  ^wrM??ia-runners  glided  in,  and  after 
prostrating  themselves,  knelt  in  a row  on  the  floor. 
The  eldest,^  a tall  and  very  ugly  man,  having  nothing 
but  a maro  and  a short,  loose  jacket,  had  wrapped  a red 
blanket  round  his  lower  limbs;  the  second,  a youth. 


1 This  is  a sketch  from  a crayon  portrait  in  the  Engineering  College 
ftt  Tokiyo,  representing  a low  class  coolie,  but  minus  his  pleasant  smile 
and  look  cf  goodness,  it  is  a Caithful  likeness  of  my  invaluable  rrnner 


A BOJV  OF  PETITIONEES. 


267 


disdained  tliis  concession  to  our  prejudices ; and  the 
third,  a man  of  feeble  physique.,  who  had  delayed  us  on 
the  way,  considered  his  panoply  of  tattooing  snfficieut 
clothing.  Bowing  over  and  over  again,  the  older  man 
preferred  a petition  that  we  would  engage  the  tlnee  for 
the  ten  days’  journey  round  to  KiySto ; they  would  be 
our  servants,  he  said,  and  do  whatever  we  desired. 
Mrs.  Gulick  represented  to  them  that  they  had  no 
recommendations,  that  they  might  desert  us  on  the 
way,  that  they  might  become  useless  from  drinking  too 
much  sakS,  etc.  etc.  To  this  they  replied,  that  they 
would  be  faithful  unto  death,  that  they  would  not 
touch  saki.,  that  they  would  serve  us  well,  etc.,  and 
pleaded  most  earnestly,  but  we  were  obdurate,  till  the 
elder  man  said,  “We  too  wish  to  worship  at  Isd ! ” 
This  was  quite  irresistible,  so  we  told  them  that  we 
would  engage  the  two  strong  ones  at  six  sew  a ri  for  as 
long  as  they  pleased  us,  but  could  not  take  the  weakly 
one  over  the  mountains.  Then  they  pleaded  for  him, 
saying  that  he  had  a large  family,  and  was  very  poor, 
and  they  would  help  him,  and  having  obtained  “leave 
to  toil,”  they  got  up  quite  happy,  whipped  off  the  covers 
of  our  baggage,  put  up  my  stretcher  in  no  time,  and 
arranged  the  room  quite  neatly.  These  faithful  fellows 
are  the  comfort  of  our  tour  with  their  unweariable 
good  nature,  strict  honesty,  and  kindly,  pleasant  ways. 
They  are  never  tired,  never  ask  for  help  on  the  steepest 
and  miriest  ways,  seek  our  comfort  before  their  own, 
attend  on  us  like  servants,  help  us  to  pack,  take  us  to 
respectable,  clean  yadoyas.,  and  are  faultless.  At  night, 
after  they  have  had  their  bath,  they  come  to  our  room  to 
wish  us  good  night  and  arrange  the  next  day’s  journey, 
and  every  morning  at  daylight  the  fusuma  glide  apart, 
and  the  shining  skulls  are  to  be  seen  bobbing  their  good 
morning  on  the  mats,  to  show  that  they  are  “ on  hand,” 


268 


UNBEATEN  TRACES  IN  JAPAN. 


the  elder  one  always  in  the  “ full  dress  ” of  his  red 
blanket.  While  we  get  our  breakfast  they  do  our  pack- 
ing with  a quietness  and  celerity  which  leave  nothiiig 
to  be  desired,  and  the  goodness  of  the  expression  of  the 
elder  man  and  his  thoughtful  kindness,  preach  many  a 
sennon  and  suggest  many  a thought  and  query.  He  is 
a peasant  proprietor,  but  when  times  are  not  busy,  leaves 
his  land  in  liis  wife’s  care,  and  draws  a huruma.  He  buys 
toys  for  his  children  everj'where,  so  that  the  well  in  the 
kuruma  is  full  of  them ; and  having  “ worshipped  at 
Is4,”  and  purchased  many  charms  for  friends  and  neigh- 
bours, he  will  go  home  with  a glad  heart.  These  run- 
ners tell  us  that  their  expenses  are  20  sen  a day,  and 
they  earn  from  40  to  60,  according  to  the  distance  we 
travel. 

The  morning  at  Miwa  opened  with  heavy  rain,  which 
never  ceased  during  the  whole  day.  In  the  deep  mud 
our  weakly  coolie  broke  down,  and  we  had  to  dismiss 
him  with  a present.  The  mountain  roads  were  deep  in 
mire  and  water,  the  kurumas  often  sank  up  to  their  axles, 
and  though  we  walked  nearly  all  day,  i.e.  floundered 
through  the  mud,  the  men  had  great  difficulty  in  getting 
along,  and  sometimes  the  services  of  three  or  four 
peasants  were  required  to  get  the  baggage  kuruma  up 
the  steep,  slippery  hills.  I got  on  comparatively  easily 
in  my  mountain  dress  and  high  boots,  though  both  were 
soaked  witliin  half  an  hour  of  starting ; but  Mrs.  Gulick, 
who  wore  long  skirts  and  a long  waterproof  cloak  over 
them,  between  the  weight  of  the  skirts  and  of  the  water 
with  which  they  were  saturated,  foot  gear  which  alwaj’s 
seemed  sticking  in  the  mud,  and  the  attempt  to  hold  up 
an  umbrella,  had  a hard  time ; but  her  cheerfulness 
never  failed,  and  the  worse  it  was  and  the  more  unlikely 
it  seemed  that  we  shoidd  reach  a yadoya  for  the  night, 
the  more  heartily  we  and  the  runners  laughed.  It  was 


A REVELATION  OF  BEAUTY. 


269 


ill  truth,  excellent  fun,  very  unlike  the  disnuiluess  of 
some  equally  rainy  days  in  Northern  Japan. 

After  leaving  Miwa,  and  passing  for  a mile  or  two 
through  farming  villages,  a great  torii  spanned  the  road, 
the  mists  rolled  aside,  the  valley  contracted,  a wall  of 
finely  outlined  hills  blocked  it  up,  and  we  suddenly 
found  ourselves  in  a most  picturesque  mountain  town  of 
about  2000  people,  with  a torrent  rushing  down  a stone 
channel  in  the  middle,  waterfalls  reverberating  all 
around,  warm-tinted,  deep-eaved,  steep-roofed  houses 
forming  streets  whose  charming  qiiaintness  delights  the 
eye,  or  perched  on  rocks  or  terraces  on  the  steep  hill- 
sides — Swiss  all  over,  even  to  the  sale  of  rosaries, 
pictures,  and  wood-carvings  in  the  dainty  shops.  But 
not  Swiss  are  the  grey  temples  on  the  heights,  the 
priests’  houses  on  grand,  stone-faced  embankments 
hanging  over  dizzy  ledges,  and  the  red  torii  at  the  feet 
of  superb  flights  of  stairs  which  lead  up  mountain  sides 
to  ancient  shrines  of  nature  worship,  hidden  among 
groves  of  gigantic  cryptomeria,  rising  from  among 
maples  flaunting  in  scarlet  and  gold.  It  was  all  so 
unexpected,  so  off  the  beaten  track  of  foreign  travel, 
and  we  had  tumbled  unawares  into  one  of  the  most 
famous  places  in  Japan,  celebrated  in  poetry  and  paint- 
ing, and  one  of  the  most  popular  of  the  many  places  of 
pilgrimage.  Beautiful  Hasd-dera ! I shall  never  forget 
its  exquisite  loveliness  in  the  November  rain.  We 
splashed  through  mire  and  water,  climbed  heights,  saw 
temples,  forgot  hunger  and  soaked  clothes,  and  lingered 
long,  for  Nature,  in  this  glorious  valley,  has  done  her 
best  to  simulate  the  beauties  of  a far-off  island ; and  as 
we  looked  down  into  the  cleft  through  which  the  loud- 
booming  Yamagawa  was  flinging  itself  hi  broad  drifts 
of  foam,  and  at  the  steep  mountain  on  the  other  side 
aflame  with  maples,  we  exclaimed  simultaneously,  “A 
Hawaiian  gulch ! ” 


2rO  UNBEATEN  TBACKS  IN  JAPAN. 

It  is  hard  to  write  plain  prose  about  Has^-dera.  Its 
steep-roofed  houses  are  piled  in  a cul-de-sac,  deeply  cleft 
by  the  Yamagawa  ; it  is  blocked  in  by  a densely-wooded 
mountain  side,  dark  with  cryptomeria  and  evergreen 
oaks  lighted  up  by  maples  ; tbickly-wooded  heights  rise 
on  every  side,  rocky  precipices  descend  to  the  river ; and 
heights  aud  precipices  are  covered  with  temples,  monas- 
teries, and  priests’  houses  — the  great  temple  to  Kwau 
non  being  built  half  upon  the  rock  and  half  upon  a plat- 
form built  out  of  the  rock.  This  is  reached  by  a grand 
flagged  ascent  in  three  zigzags,  imder  a corridor,  with 
beds  of  tree  peonies  on  stone-faced  embankments,  step 
above  step  on  each  side,  bringing  crowds  of  strangers  to 
the  “ peony  viewing  ” in  the  flowery  month  of  April. 
Flights  of  stone  stairs,  grand  stone  embankments,  reli- 
gious buildings,  abbots’  and  monks’  houses  Avith  grey 
walls  and  sweeping  roofs,  terraces,  shrines,  stone  and 
bronze  lanterns,  chapels,  libraries,  gateways,  idols,  one 
above  another,  and  jutting  out  on  every  piece  of  van- 
tage ground  which  hangs  over  the  cleft  of  the  Yama- 
gawa, attest  the  former  grandem-  of  this  “ IMonastery 
of  the  Long  Valley,”  which,  founded  in  the  seventh  or 
eighth  century,  was  destroyed  by  fire  at  least  twelve 
times  before  the  fifteenth  ! 

The  great  temple  of  the  Goddess  of  Mercy,  like  sev- 
eral other  popular  temples,  is  dark  and  flingy ; and  a 
hall  outside,  sixty  feet  long,  devoted  to  the  display  of 
tawdry  ex  voto  pictures,  is  as  mangy  and  worm-eaten  as 
a celebrated  image  of  Binzuru,  the  great  medicine  god, 
who  occupies  a chair  at  one  end  of  it,  and  is  being 
rubbed  out  of  all  semblance  of  humanity.  The  outer 
wall  of  the  back  of  the  chapel  is  hung  with  tresses 
of  the  hair  both  of  women  and  men,  ofi’ered  along  with 
vows.  The  view  from  the  temple  platform,  of  height 
above  height  crowned  with  monastic  buildings,  of  the 


A TRUDGE  THROUGH  MUD. 


271 


steefi-roofed  houses  of  Hasd  below,  piled  irregidarlj’ 
above  the  rushing  Yama,  and  of  mountain,  forest,  ami 
hill-sides  aflame  with  maples,  was  one  which  we  were 
loth  to  leave ; and  when,  after  climbing  a steep  zigzag 
which  leads  up  the  face  of  a singular  ridge,  called,  Ata- 
gosan,  we  looked  our  last  upon  the  “ Monastery  of  the 
long  valley,”  it  was  with  a regret  that  I have  hardly  felt 
elsewhere  in  Japan. 

This  knife-like  ridge,  the  summit  rock  of  which  is 
gashed  to  allow  the  track  to  pass  thi-ough,  has  a red 
ShintS  shrine  at  its  extremity,  a glorious  view  of  Hasd 
on  the  one  side,  and  on  the  other  a steep  valley  terraced 
for  rice.  The  rain,  which  had  moderated  a little,  took 
a mean  advantage  of  us  there,  and  lasted  all  day,  turn- 
ing every  rivulet  into  a torrent,  and  every  gash  on  the 
hill-sides  into  a waterfall.  The  scenery,  however,  looked 
lovely,  for  the  flaming  colours  on  the  liill-sides  simulated 
the  effect  of  sunshine,  and  the  tawny  rice  harvest 
against  the  dark  evergreens  gave  warmth  and  contrast. 
All  day  we  trudged  through  mire  up  and  down  steep 
hills,  passing  beautiful  brown-roofed  villages  on  heights, 
spurs,  and  slopes,  temples  on  stone-faced  embankments, 
groves  of  superb  cryptomeria,  hills  with  coloured  woods, 
ravines  terraced  for  rice  with  stone  embankments  like 
steep  stairs  only  six  feet  wide  — a lovely  region  of 
beauty,  industry,  and  peace.  We  met  never  a horse  or 
foot  passenger  the  whole  day,  and  sometimes  made  less 
than  a mile  an  hour,  owing  to  the  steepness  and  deep 
mud  of  tlie  road.  When  evening  came  on,  we  lost  each 
other,  and  I reached  the  village  of  Sambon-matsu,  rr 
Higenashi,  alone,  to  find  total  darkness,  not  a chink  in 
the  amado  of  any  house  giving  evidence  of  light  within. 
By  dint  of  much  shouting  we  succeeded  in  getting  the 
door  of  a yadoya  opened,  and  there  I sat  for  some  time 
in  the  doma.,  looking  into  what  appeared  like  immensity 


272 


UNBEATEN  TRACKS  IN  JAPAN. 


— a lofty  blackened  space  dimly  visible  by  the  light  of 
an  andon,  in  which  some  misty,  magnified  figures  were 
gliding  about  in  the  smoke.  After  a time  I succeeded 
in  conveying  my  apprehensions  about  Mis.  Gulick  to 
the  house-master,  and  six  of  us  turned  out  into  the  rain 
with  paper  umbrellas  and  lanterns  to  search  for  her, 
and  soon  met  her  stumbling  bravely  along  in  the  pitch 
darkness,  dragging  her  soaked  clothes  with  difficulty, 
and  laughing  at  my  fears. 

In  spite  of  the  dampness  and  cold  we  were  soon 
asleep,  to  be  awoke  at  daylight  by  a sound  as  if  of  piti- 
less rain  ; but  on  opening  the  amado  there  was  a delight 
ful  surprise,  for  the  clouds  were  roUing  up  in  rosy 
masses,  the  sky  was  intensely  blue,  the  sun,  which  we 
had  not  seen  for  a week,  was  rising  above  the  mountains, 
and  colour  was  every  moment  deepening  in  his  light. 
The  Nushitoyama  inn  is  on  an  abrupt  height  above  the 
beautiful  Kitsugawa,  and  its  balcony  looks  down  upon 
a shai’p  curve  of  the  river,  which  was  flashing  iu  the 
sunlight  below  lofty  grey  cliffs,  over  which  scarlet  trail- 
ers hung.  A little  mill  with  an  overshot  wheel,  hiU 
above  hill  glowing  with  autumn  colouring,  in  Light  and 
shadow,  a great  camellia  tree  loaded  with  pink  blossoms, 
palms  (^Chcemerops  exeeha').,  oranges,  bamboo  gro  res, 
steep-roofed  houses  rising  one  above  the  other,  and 
everything  flashing  with  sunlit  rain-drops,  made  a pic- 
ture of  autumn  beauty.  But  odes  of  a thousand  years 
ago  represent  the  dread  with  which  the  Japanese  peas 
ant  contemplates  the  coming  winter,^  and  oui  hostess 

1 Such  as  the  following,  among  many  others,  translated  by  Mr.  F . V 
Dickins : — 

“The  hamlet  bosomed  mid  the  hills. 

Aye  lonely  is.  In  ■winter  time. 

The  solitude  with  misery  fills 
My  mind.  For  now  the  rigorous  clime, 

Hath  banished  every  herb  and  tree. 

And  every  human  face  from  me.” 


MUSHROOM  CULTURE. 


273 


sliivered  when  we  admired,  and  said  that  another  six 
weeks  would  shut  out  her  beautiful  village  from  the 
world. 

We  had  a delightful  day’s  journey  through  lovely 
scenery  in  brilliant  sunshine,  but  the  people  were  so 
busy  with  their  harvest  work  that  we  could  not  get  a 
third  kuruma.,  and  had  to  do  a good  deal  of  walking. 
The  road  follows  the  course  of  the  Kitsugawa,  which  it 
crosses  at  the  considerable  town  of  Nobara,  on  a bridge 
of  planks,  supported,  as  many  others  are  in  that  region, 
on  bamboo  creels  eight  feet  in  diameter,  filled  with 
stones.  On  the  way,  in  damp  woods,  there  were  rocks 
with  rows  of  pieces  of  decaying  wood  placed  aslant 
against  them,  and  on  inquiry  I learned  that  these  repre- 
sent the  mushroom  culture  for  which  the  provinces  of 
Yamato  and  Isd  are  famous.  Mushrooms  are  an  article 
of  diet  everywhere.  They  are  amoug  the  brown  hor- 
rors in  a brown  liquid,  which  are  among  the  “ tempta- 
tions ” of  every  tea-house ; and  there  is  an  immense 
demand  for  them,  specially  for  a kind  tasteless  when 
fresh,  but  highly  flavoured  when  dry.  Much  skill  is 
brought  to  bear  on  their  production,  but  being  quite 
ignorant  of  the  mode  of  culture  elsewhere,  I cannot 
make  any  comparisons.  These  ingenious  people  select 
logs  of  two  kinds  of  oak,  make  longitudinal  incisions  in 
them,  and  expose  them  in  groves  to  damp  and  heat  till 
they  are  partly  rotten,  when,  the  worst  parts  being  re- 
moved, they  are  placed  aslant  against  rocks  as  I saw 
them,  and  mushrooms  appear  upon  them  in  abundance 
the  next  spring.  After  the  first  crop  has  been  gathered 
they  are  placed  in  water  in  the  morning,  and  in  the 
afternoon  are  taken  out  and  beaten  with  a mallet,  which 
beating  is  so  successful,  that  after  being  placed  aslant 
again  for  two  or  three  days  fresh  mushrooms  appear. 
The  people  say  that  if  the  logs  are  beaten  heavily  the 


274 


UNBEATEN  TRACKS  IN  JAPAN. 


mushrooms  are  very  large,  but  if  lightly  a good  numbei 
of  small  ones  spring  up  in  succession.  The  ingenuity 
of  the  Japanese  in  providing  themselves  with  food  is 
q dte  marvellous. 

There  was  the  usual  beautiful  terrace  cultivation 
villages  jutted  out  from  hill-sides  on  stone-faced  em- 
bankments, or  nestled  among  flaming  woods,  and  tern 
pies  and  torii  everywhere  testified  to  the  devotion  of  a 
past  age.  At  Nobara,  where  the  mud  in  the  streets  w^as 
ten  inches  deep,  the  police  bothered  us  for  twenty  min- 
utes, fancying  that  there  was  an  informality  in  our 
passports ; but  the  sun  w^as  still  liigh  when  we  climbed 
a sandy  ridge  of  great  height,  with  an  extensive  ^'iew 
of  hundreds  of  hills,  mostly  sandy,  covered  with  pine 
and  azalea,  their  waving  ranges  glorified  in  the  sun- 
shine. Reaching  Aido  in  the  late  afternoon,  a disa- 
greeable innkeeper  wanted  us  to  remain,  saying  the 
yadoya  at  Tsiji  was  “ piggj" ; ” but  we  went  on,  and 
after  much  delay,  owing  to  lack  of  transport,  luckily 
met  an  unloaded  horse,  put  our  baggage  on  him,  and 
pushed  up  into  the  mountains  at  sunset,  along  a track 
shut  up  with  a torrent  in  a ravine  whose  sides  were 
scarlet  and  crimson,  with  summits  rising  sharply  into  a 
lemon-coloured  sk3^  It  was  too  cold  for  anything  but 
walking,  and  though  the  road  was  all  up-hdl,  we  had 
not  walked  ourselves  warm  when  we  reached  the  wild 
lit, tie  mountain  hamlet  of  Awoyama  by  moonlight,  only 
to  find  that  neither  horses  nor  coolies  could  be  got  for 
the  next  day.  It  was  a pretty  rough  place,  with  oxen 
under  the  same  roof,  but  we  got  a good  room,  and  our 
faithful  runners  made  it  as  comfortable  as  they  could. 

The  first  chill  of  the  winter  was  severe.  The  room 
was  very  damp,  and  the  amado  were  partially  nailed  up, 
so  it  had  not  a chance  of  sunshine.  We  gropingly 
cooked  our  stirabout  by  the  dim  light  of  an  andon , 


THE  HIGH  ROAD. 


275 


could  not  see  to  write ; kept  our  candles  for  Yamada ; 
shivered,  hugged  Mhachis  and  kettles;  got  heaps  of 
futons  and  slept  under  them,  regardless  of  their  weight ; 
woke  in  the  night  from  the  cold,  buried  our  heads  and 
faces  in  shawls,  and  got  up  before  daylight,  still  shiver* 
Ing,  to  find  a bleak,  windy,  and  dubious  morning,  on 
which  rice  and  eggs  were  comfortless  and  unsustah:*jig 
food. 

We  were  much  detained  again  by  difficulties  of  trans-^ 
port,  but  the  day  turned  out  very  fine,  and  Mrs.  Gulick 
did  not  think  walking  any  hardship  in  the  lovely  coun- 
try, so  that  by  the  afternoon  we  had  got  through  the 
mountains,  passed  Kaido,  Onoki,  and  Kaminoro,  and  no 
end  of  villages  and  temples,  and  reached  Rokkeu,  on 
the  broad  “ carriage-road  ” which  connects  the  great 
highway  of  the  Tfikaido  with  the  Ise  shrines.  Here 
there  were  waggons  in  numbers  carrying  passengers, 
and  hundreds  of  kurumas,  and  pack-cows  with  velvet 
frontlets  embroidered  in  gold,  and  men  making  the  old- 
fashioned  waggon-wheels  which  have  no  tires,  and  all 
the  industries  of  a large  and  prosperous  population. 

In  order  to  spend  Sunday  here  we  engaged  additional 
runners,  and  came  from  Rokken,  twelve  and  a half 
miles,  at  a great  pace,  our  men  swinging  paper-lanterns 
and  hooting  merrily  as  they  ran.  Tlie  whole  distance 
nearly  is  lined  with  villages,  towns,  and  good  houses, 
with  tiled  walls,  enclosing  large  areas,  a populous  and 
prosperous  region,  much  advanced  in  all  material  things 
Passing  through  Ichida  and  the  large  town  of  Matsu 
saka,  which  abounds  with  curio  shops,  under  a clear 
sky,  and  with  a sharp  north  wind  benumbing  our  limbs, 
we  reached  Kushida,  where  we  ferried  the  Kushida- 
gawa  in  a scow  — a handsome  new  bridge  on  twelve 
piers  not  being  quite  finished  — and  then  under  a glori- 
ous moon  reached  a broad,  shallow  river  called  the 


<270 


UNBEATEN  TRACKS  IN  JAPAN. 


Miydga^va,  where  we  were  detained,  not  rductantl/, 
for  a length  of  time  waiting  ferriage.  It  was  a very 
picturesque  scene  with  the  dark,  wooded  hanks,  the 
numerous  fishing-punts  with  lights,  and  the  number  of 
patient  fishers  standing  up  to  their  waists  in  the  cold 
water  with  lanterns  hanging  from  their  necks.  Buddh- 
ist and  SliintO  temples,  torii,  and  images  succeeded 
each  other  along  the  road ; there  were  huge  trees  and 
sacred  groves  girdled  by  the  straw  rope  with  its  de- 
pendent tassels;  nearly  every  house  had  ShintS  em- 
blems over  the  door,  and  rattling  over  the  remaining  ri 
we  reached  Yamada,  the  cradle  of  the  ancient  faith.  It 
looked  solid  and  handsome  in  the  moonlight,  and  looks 
more  solid  and  handsome  still  in  the  daylight,  for  its 
houses  are  two  storeyed,  and  mostly  in  the  solid  kura 
style,  and  turn  their  gable-ends  to  the  street.  The 
roofs  are  heavily  tiled,  the  stone  embankments  are  in 
fine  order,  and  altogether,  apart  from  the  grandeur  of 
the  camphor  and  cryptomeria  groves,  and  the  stately 
entrances  and  stone-bordered  avenues  of  the  Geku 
shrine,  Yamada  is  the  handsomest  town  I have  seen  in 
Japan. 

Vice  and  religion  are  apt  to  be  in  seeming  alliance  in 
this  country  ; the  great  shrines  of  pilgrimage  are  nearly 
always  surrounded  by  the  resorts  of  the  dissol  ate,  and 
nowhere  are  these  so  painfidly  numerous  as  on  the 
stately  road  which  connects  the  Geku  with  the  Naiku 
shrine,  three  miles  off.  It  was  some  time  before  our 
runners  succeeded  in  lodging  us  in  a yadoya  which  was 
not  kashitsukeya.,  but  we  are  in  good  quarters  at  the  an- 
cient house  kept  by  INIatsushima  Zenzaburo,  from  among 
whose  thirty  rooms  we  chose  one  upstairs,  Avhich  is  full 
of  sunshme  and  pleasantness.  But,  oh,  for  a good  five ' 
It  is  very  cold  at  night  and  after  sunset. 

Nov.  10.  — Sunday  was  a day  of  sunshine  and  glitter 


A BUBBING-STONE. 


277 


quite  perfect.  We  read  the  English  service  in  the 
morning,  and  in  the  afternoon,  with  our  faithful  run- 
ners, visited  the  Geku  shrines  in  their  glorious  groves. 
There  our  men  “ worshipped,”  that  is,  they  threw  some 
rin  on  the  white  cloth  in  front  of  the  gateway  of  the 
shrines,  prostrated  themselves,  rubbed  their  hands,  and 
went  away  rejoicing.  My  runner  has  rheumatism  in  liis 
neck,  and  not  having  been  cured  by  his  application  to 
the  medicine  god  of  Hasd-dera,  he  rubbed  a celebrated 
rubbing-stone  at  the  corner  of  the  sacred  enclosure  with 
great  vigour,  and  then  rubbed  himself,  and  to-day  he  is 
free  from  pain ! The  camphor  groves  alone  are  well 
worth  a visit,  for  they  are  gloriously  beautiful,  but  no 
beauty  of  nature  or  sunshine  ean  light  the  awful  melan- 
choly of  the  unutterable  emptiness  of  the  holiest  places 
of  ShintQ. 

In  the  evening  our  host  came  up  for  a friendly  talk, 
and  made  many  inquiries  concerning  Christianity,  and 
Mrs.  Gulick  made  a praiseworthy  attempt  to  explain  its 
essentials  to  our  runners,  with  how  much  success  may 
be  judged  from  the  question  which  the}^  asked  to-day, 
“If  we  were  to  worship  your  God,  should  we  have  to 
go  to  your  country  ? ” being  quite  willing,  apparently, 
to  add  another  deity  to  their  already  crowded  Pantheon. 

I.  L.  B. 


278 


UNliJSATKN  TUACKH  IN  JAi'AN. 


THE  ISE  SHRINES.i 

' ‘ The  Divine  Palaces  of  the  most  holy  gods  of  Isd  ” — Sanctity  of  the 

Isd  Shrines  — The  Kami-dana  — The  Ise  Charms  — The  Geku 

Camphor  Groves  — The  Temple  Grounds  — The  Sacred  Enclosure 

— The  Shrines  — The  “Holy  of  Holies” — The  Japanese  Regalia 

— The  Shinto  Mirror. 

These  temples  of  Is^,  the  Geku  and  the  Naiku,  called 
by  the  Japanese  by  a name  which  literally  means  “ The 
two  great  divine  palaces,”  rank  first  among  ShintS 
shrines  in  point  of  sanctity,  and  are  to  ShintSists,  even 
in  the  irreligious  present,  something  of  what  Mecca  is 
to  Mussulmans,  and  the  Holy  Places  of  Jerusalem  to 
Greeks  and  Latins.  Tens  of  thousands  of  pilgrims  still 
resort  to  them  annually,  and  though  the  pilgrimage  sea- 
son is  chiefly  in  the  spring  mouths,  tliere  is  no  tune  of 
the  year  in  which  there  is  an  absolute  cessation  of  vis- 
itors. The  artisans  of  Tokiyo  now  think  it  possible  to 
gain  a livelihood  without  beseeching  the  protection  of 
the  Is4  divinities,  and  the  shop-boys  of  the  trading 
cities  no  longer  beg  their  way  to  and  from  Yamada  in 
search  of  the  Ise  charms ; but  it  will  be  long  before 
the  Japanese  householder,  specially  the  credulous  peas- 
ant, learns  to  feel  safe  without  the  paper  ticket  inscribed 
with  the  name  TenshOkQ-daijin,  the  principal  deity  of 
Isd,  which  is  only  to  be  obtained  at  the  Ise  shi'ines. 


1 The  account  of  the  Ise  shrines  in  my  letter  is  so  incomplete  and 
fragmentary,  that  T prefer  to  give  these  Notes  takei  on  the  spot,  and 
'.orrected  subsequently  by  the  help  of  a paper  by  Mr.  Satow. 


HANCTITY  OF  THE  IS^  SHRINES.  2?  9 

In  the  foregoing  Letters  I have  alluded  to  the  fact 
that  in  every  Japanese  house  there  is  a kami-dana,  or 
“sheK  for  gods,”  on  which  is  a wooden  miniature  of  a 
ShintS  shrine  containing  paper  tickets,  on  which  the 
names  of  various  gods  are  written,  one  of  which  is  al 
ways  the  deity  aforesaid.  This  ticket  is  believed  to 
contain  between  two  thin  slips  some  shavings  of  the 
wands  used  by  the  priests  of  Isd  at  the  two  annual 
festivals,  which  are  supposed  to  effect  the  purification 
of  the  nation  from  the  “ sin  ” of  the  preceding  six 
months,  and  is  supposed  to  protect  its  possessor  from 
misfortune  for  half  a year,  at  the  end  of  which  time  the 
o-harai,  as  it  is  called,  ought  to  be  changed  for  a new 
one  ; but  from  what  I learned  at  the  Geku,  it  appears  that 
modern  negligence  is  content  to  renew  the  charm  once 
in  one,  two,  and  three  years,  or  even  longer.  It  is  to 
be  supposed  that  these  o-harai  bear  as  much  relation 
to  the  wands  of  purification  as  the  relics  profusely  scat 
tered  throughout  the  world  bear  to  the  Holy  Cross,  of 
which  they  are  said  to  be  fragments.  The  old  o-harai 
ought  to  be  burned  or  cast  into  a river  or  the  sea,  but 
are  usually  employed  to  heat  the  bath  used  by  the  virgin 
priestesses  after  their  posturings  at  the  annual  festival 
of  the  patron-god  of  any  locality.  They  were  hawked 
about  Japan  up  to  1868,  but  this  practice  was  prohibited 
by  Government  a few  years  ago,  and  they  can  only  be 
obtained  at  the  Is6  temples  themselves,  or  at  certain 
accredited  agencies.  This  fact  of  the  universal  distri- 
bution of  the  o-harai  connects  every  family  in  Japan 
with  the  Is6  slnines  and  ShintS  superstition,  and  gives 
the  shrines  a central  position  as  regards  the  national 
faith. 

The  two  groups  of  shrines  are  distant  about  three  and 
a half  miles  from  each  other.  The  majority  of  the  pil- 
grims lodge  in  Furuichi,  a town  which  occupies  the  crest 


280 


UNBEATEN  TRACKS  IN  JAPAN. 


of  tlie  ridge  between  the  two  temples,  and  is  almost  made 
up  of  yadoyas.,  tea-houses,  and  joroyas,  mostly  of  large 
size,  with  solid  gables  turned  towards  the  street.  Ya- 
mada,  which  is  conterminous  with  Furuichi,  is  also  full 
of  houses  of  entertainment.  These  towns  contain 
about  40,000  people,  and  for  Japan  are  marvels  of  solid 
and  picturesque  building.  A Japanese  pilgrimage  is 
not  a solemn  or  holy  thing,  and  the  great  shrines  of 
Shinto  pilgrimage  possess  more  than  the  usual  number 
of  vicious  attractions. 

It  is  sufficient  to  describe  the  Geku  shrine,  which  is 
exactly  copied  from  the  Naiku.  Both  stand  in  the 
midst  of  ancient  cryptomeria,  each  stately  tree  m 
Slrinto  fancy  worthy  to  be  a god,  but  it  is  the  camphor 
groves,  the  finest  in  Japan,  covering  the  extensive  and 
broken  grounds  with  their  dark  magnificence,  which  so 
impress  a stranger  with  their  unique  grandeur  as  to 
make  him  forget  the  bareness  and  meanness  of  the 
shrines  which  they  overshadow. 

The  grand  entrance  is  reached  from  Yamada  by  cross- 
ing a handsome  bridge,  which  leads  to  a wide  space  en- 
closed by  banks  faced  with  stone.  On  the  right  is  a 
building  occupied  by  the  temple-attendauts,  where  frag- 
ments of  the  wood  used  in  building  the  slu'iues,  packets 
of  the  rice  offered  to  the  gods,  and  sundry  other  charms, 
are  offered  for  sale.  Close  to  tliis  there  is  a massive 
foru,  the  entrance  to  the  temple-grounds,  which  are  of 
great  extent,  and  contain  hills,  ravines,  groves,  and 
streams.  Very  broad  and  finely-gravelled  roads,  with 
granite  margins  and  standard  lamps  at  intervals,  inter- 
sect them,  and  their  torii.,  stone  bridges,  stone  staircases, 
and  stone-faced  embankments,  are  all  on  a grand  scale 
and  in  perfect  repair.  On  the  left  hand,  within  the  en- 
trance, there  are  some  plain  buildings,  one  of  which  is 
occupied  by  several  temple-attendants  in  white  silk  vest 


THE  SACRED  ENCLOSURE. 


281 


ments,  whose  business  it  is  to  sell  the  o-harai  to  all  com- 
ers. Heavy  curtains,  with  the  Mikado’s  crest  upon 
them,  are  draped  over  the  entrances  to  this  and  the 
building  at  the  gate,  and  may  be  taken  as  indicating 
that  ShintS  is  under  “ State  ” patronage. 

Passing  through  stately  groves  by  a stately  road,  and 
under  a second  massive  tom,  the  visitor  reaches  the 
famous  Geku  shrine,  and,  even  in  spite  of  Mr.  Satow’s 
realistic  description,  is  stricken  with  a feeling  of  disap- 
pointment, for  he  is  suddenly  brought  up  by  a great 
oblong  enclosure  of  neatly  planed  wood,  the  upright 
posts,  which  are  just  over  nine  feet  high,  being  planted 
at  distances  of  six  feet,  the  intervals  being  completely 
filled  up  with  closely-fitting  and  very  heavy  planking 
laid  horizontall3^  The  only  ornaments  are  bamboo  re- 
ceptacles on  each  post,  containing  sprigs  of  Cleyera 
Japonica.,  changed  occasionally.  This  monotonous  look- 
ing enclosure  rests  on  a raised  platform  of  broken  stone, 
supported  on  a rough  stone-faced  embankment  about 
three  feet  high.  One  corner  of  this  is  formed  by  a 
large,  irregularly  shaped,  dark  stone,  worn  perfectly 
smooth  from  being  constantly  rubbed  by  the  hands  of 
persons  who  believe  that  by  rubbing  the  stone  first,  and 
then  any  painful  part  of  the  body,  the  pain  will  be 
cured.  The  front  of  this  extraordinary  enclosure  is 
247  feet  long,  the  rear  235  feet,  one  side  339  feet,  and 
the  other  335  feet.  It  has  five  entrances,  the  principal 
one,  18  feet  wide,  facing  the  road,  being  formed  by  a 
tom.  At  a distance  of  24  feet  from  three  of  these  en- 
trances are  high  wooden  screens,  and  a similar  screen, 
at  a distance  of  76  feet,  hides  the  main  entrance,  much 
in  the  same  way  that  the  great  brick  screens  in  Canton 
conceal  the  gateways  of  the  private  dwellings  of  the 
mandarins.  Witliin  the  entrance  torii  there  is  a wooden 
gateway  with  a thatched  roof,  but  a curtain  with  the 


282 


UNBEATEN  TRACKS  IN  JAPAN 


Mikado’s  crest  conceals  all  view  of  the  interior  court, 
In  front  of  this  gateway  the  pilgrims  make  their  obei- 
sances and  throw  down  their  rin  upon  a white  cloth. 
The  other  entrances  are  closed  with  solid  gates.  There 
is  no  admission  except  for  the  specially  privileged,  but 
a good  view  into  the  enclosure  is  gained  by  climbing  a 
bank  upon  its  west  side. 

Within  the  thatched  gateway  there  is  a pebbled  court, 
on  the  right  of  which  is  a long  narrow  shed,  one  of 
three  buildings  set  ap;irt  for  the  entertainment  of  the 
envoys  sent  by  the  Mikado  after  the  annual  harv'^est  fes- 
tival. In  a straight  line  from  the  second  gateway  a 
flagged  pavement,  passmg  under  a torii  at  a distance  of 
99  feet,  reaches  another  thatched  gateway,  through 
which  there  is  a thh’d  court,  formed  by  palisades  the 
height  of  a man,  placed  close  together.  Another 
thatched  gateway  gives  entrance  to  the  last  enclosure, 
an  area  nearly  square,  being  134  feet  by  131,  surromided 
by  a very  stout  palisade.  Within  this  stands  the  slioden 
01-  shrine  of  the  gods,  and  on  the  right  and  left  two 
treasuries.  The  impression  produced  by  the  whole  re- 
sembles that  made  upon  the  minds  of  those  who  liave 
made  the  deepest  researches  into  ShintS  — there  is 
nothing,  and  all  things,  even  the  stately  avenues  of  the 
Geku,  lead  to  nothing.  Japanese  antiquaries  say  that 
the  architecture  of  Shinto  temples  resembles  that  of 
the  primeval  Japanese  hut,  and  these,  which  have  been 
rebuilt  since  1868,  represent  this  architecture  in  its  pur 
ost  form.  The  shoden  is  34  feet  long  by  18  wide,  and 
stands  on  a platform  raised  on  posts  6 feet  high,  which 
is  approached  by  nine  steps  15  feet  wude,  wuth  a balus- 
trade on  each  side.  A balcony  3 feet  wide,  with  a low' 
rail,  runs  all  round  the  building,  and  is  covered  by  the 
eaves  of  the  roof,  which  is  finely  thatched  with  bark  to 
the  depth  of  a foot.  The  ridge  pole  and  a number  of 


THE  HOLY  OF  HOLIESF 


28a 


cigar-shaped  beams  and  rafters  at  each  end,  crossing 
each  other  above  the  roof,  are  supposed  to  be  merely 
the  development  of  the  roof  of  the  primeval  hut.  The 
building  has  sides  of  closely-fitting  planks,  and  the 
whole,  like  all  else,  is  of  planed  wood,  destitute  of  any 
other  ornament  than  occasional  plates  of  pierced  and 
engraved  brass.  The  treasuries  are  mere  “go-downs,” 
without  balconies.  They  contain  silken  stuffs,  silk  fibre, 
and  saddlery  for  the  sacred  horses. 

In  the  north-west  corner  of  the  area  is  a plain  build- 
ing, containing  the  gohei^  wands  with  dependent  pieces 
of  paper,  frequently  mentioned  before,  usually  wor- 
shipped as  gods,  but  at  Is(^  only  believed  to  have  the 
power  of  attracting  the  spirits  of  the  gods  to  the  spot, 
which  was  their  original  meaning.  In  the  noi  th-east 
corner,  within  a special  enclosure,  there  is  another  plain 
building,  in  which  the  water  and  food  oifered  to  the 
gods  of  the  Geku  are  set  out.  The  dail}^  offerings  to 
the  principal  deity  consist  of  sixteen  saucers  of  rice, 
four  saucers  of  salt,  four  cups  of  water,  and  such  fish, 
birds,  and  vegetables  as  may  be  contributed  by  the  sur- 
rounding villages,  and  the  three  secondary  deities  re- 
ceive one-half  each.  The  chief  deity  of  the  Geku  is 
“The  Goddess  of  Food,”  and  of  the  Naiku,  the  great 
“Sun  Goddess.” 

Having  followed  Shintfi  to  its  centre  at  Isd,  the  bare 
wooden  budding,  which  is  the  kernel  of  the  Geku  en- 
closure, and  the  Shinto  “ Holy  of  Holies,”  assumes  a 
very  special  interest,  but  here,  again,  there  is  nothing 
1 jt  disappointment,  for  the  slidden  only  contains  four 
boxes  of  unpainted  wood,  furnished  with  light  handles, 
resting  on  low  stands,  and  covered  with  what  is  said  to 
be  white  silk.  In  each  box  is  a mirror  wrapped  in  a 
brocade  bag,  which  is  never  renewed,  only  re-covered. 
Over  one  mirror  is  placed  a cage  of  unpainted  wood, 


284 


UNBEATEN  TRACKS  IN  JAPAN. 


which  is  covered  with  a curtain  of  coarse  silk,  which 
conceals  both  cage  and  box.  The  three  other  boxes 
stand  outside  this  cage,  but  are  also  covered,  and  the 
coverings  are  all  that  can  be  seen  when  the  shrines  are 
opened  on  festival  days.  It  is  in  these  mirrors  that  the 
spirits  of  the  gods  are  supposed  to  dwell.  Much  ingen- 
ious rubbish  has  been  devised  to  account  for  the  pres- 
ence of  a looking-glass  in  every  Shint6  temple  ; but  the 
fact  is,  tliat  tlj-)  original  Isd  mirror,  of  which  all  the 
rest  are  copies,  merely  represents  the  great  Sun  God- 
dess, the  supposed  ancestress  of  the  Mikado,  and,  to- 
gethei-  with  the  sword,  which  constitute  the  Japanese 
regalia,  found  a resting-place  at  Is^,  after  many  wan- 
derings, in  the  year  4 B.c.  The  polished  surface  is 
neither  a mirror  of  truth  nor  of  the  human  soul,  but 
is  simply  a very  intelligible  symbol  of  a rude  compound 
of  nature  and  myth  worship,  nature  as  the  Sun,  deified 
as  the  myth  Amaterasu  or  the  “ Sim  Goddess.” 

The  Geku  was  founded  in  the  year  478  a.d.,  and  it 
has  been  customary  from  time  immemorial  to  rebuild 
a temple  alternately  on  either  site  once  in  twenty 
years.  The  Naiku  has  the  same  fourfold  enclosure  as 
the  Geku.  There  are  several  smaller  shrines  within 
the  groves,  but  they  are  unimportant.  The  river  Izuzu 
flows  through  the  camphor  woods,  and  in  it  the  pil- 
grims wash  their  hands  before  worshipping  at  the 
temple. 

The  Is^  shrines  were  unknown  to  Europeans  till 
1872,  when  the  Government  very  liberally  gave  Mr. 
Satow  and  a small  party  of  foreigners  the  opportunity 
of  idsitiug  them.  They  are  now  open  to  passport  hold- 
ers under  certain  restrictions,  and  are  singularly  inter- 
esting to  those  who  have  made  either  an  original  or 
second-hand  study  of  ShintS,  for  relics  of  Is4  are  in 
every  house,  the  deities  of  Is^  are  at  the  head  of  the 


THE  SniNTd  MIRROB. 


285 


national  Pantheon,  a pilgrimage  to  Is^  forms  an  episode 
in  the  life  of  everj”^  ShintOist,  and  throughout  Japan 
thousands  of  heads  are  daily  bowed  in  the  direction  of 
“ the  Divine  Palaces  of  the  most  holy  gods  of  Isd.” 


286 


UNBEATEN  TRACKS  IN  ,fAPAN. 


ANOTHER  PILGRIMAGE. 

A Dieary  Shrine — The  Legend  of  Futami-saina  — A Double  TempH 

— A Street  of  Shops  — The  Xaiku  Shrine — Evening  Shadows  — 

The  Melancholy  of  Shinto  — Unsanctified  Pilgrim  Kesorts. 

Yamada,  Ise,  November  11, 1878. 

In  order  to  complete  the  round  of  ShintS  pilgrim- 
age, we  left  Yamada  early  this  morning,  ferried  the 
Shiwoaigawa,  rested  at  Futamiya,  a neat  village  en- 
tirely composed  of  tasteful  tea-houses,  went  on  to 
Futami-sama  in  our  kuruvias,  and  then  walked  over 
the  sand  and  rocks  of  a very  pretty  coast  to  a resort 
of  pilgrims,  wliich,  even  at  this  dead  season,  attracts 
large  numbers,  many  of  whom  were  bands  of  young 
girls. ^ Shells,  coralline,  and  curiosities,  were  offered 
for  sale  at  booths  under  the  grey  cliffs,  together  with 
rude,  coloured  woodcuts  of  Fuji  by  sunrise,  as  seen 
from  the  shore  ; but  it  was  all  dull  and  grey,  and  Fuji 
had  to  be  taken  altogether  for  granted.  Farther  on 
there  were  booths  where  melancholy-looking  women 
sold  small  torii^  earthenware  frogs,  straw  circles,  and 
other  ex  votos,  and  then  we  came  rather  suddenly  on 
the  queerest  and  dreariest  shrine  of  pilgrimage  that  1 
have  ever  seen. 

A small  promontory  of  grey  sea  gravel,  with  a low 
wall  built  round  it,  extended  into  the  still,  grey  sea, 

> I have  not  been  able  to  meet  with  any  European  who  has  visit  efi 
this  remarkable  spot;  it  has  hitherto  escaped  even  Mr.  Satow’s  diligent 
researches  among  the  holy  places  of  Shinto. 


THE  LEGEND  OF  FUTAMI-SAMA. 


287 


terminating  in  a large  torii  of  unpainted  wood,  and  a 
wooden  altar  table,  on  which  were  laid  four  big,  green 
stones,  a piece  of  worm-eaten  wood,  two  zen  or  small 
tables  with  offerings  of  rice,  a number  of  bits  of  green 
pottery  an  inch  long,  with  a distant  resemblance  to 
frogs  [said  to  be  the  servants  of  the  gods],  three  wands 
with  gohei,  and  a number  of  rin.  On  and  about  it 
were  heaps  of  circles  of  twisted  straw,  with  gohei 
attached,  some  new  and  fresh,  others  old  and  musty ; 
a more  grotesque  collection  of  rubbish  I have  never 
seen,  and  it  was  being  added  to  constantly  by  relays 
of  pilgrims.  This  promontory  points  to  three  isolated 
rocks,  one  beliind  the  other,  on  which  the  dull  waves 
broke  in  drifts  of  foam.  The  centre  rock  is  of  impos- 
ing size.  It  has  a small  torii  on  its  summit,  and  a heavy 
straw  cable,  wound  round  it,  connects  it  with  the  rock 
between  it  and  the  shore,  heavy  straw  tassels  dangling 
between  the  two.^ 

We  then  travelled  for  some  miles  among  lovely, 
wooded  hUls,  with  hamlets  and  rice  valleys,  to  the 
village  of  Assama,  left  our  Tcurumas^  ascended  the 
noble  hill  Assamayama,  where  flaming  maples  lighted 
up  forests  of  pine  and  cryptomeria,  rejoiced  in  the 
abundance  of  its  Microlepia  tenuifoUa^.  and  Gleichenia, 
spent  an  hour  at  a very  large  tea-house  with  a mag- 
nificent view  near  the  summit,  and  enjoyed  what 
we  saw,  or  thought  we  saw,  of  a grand  panorama  of 
wooded  hills,  deep  valle3^s,  indented  coasts,  and  beauti- 

1 Mr.  Satow  has  since  told  me  that,  in  a Japanese  guide  to  Ise,  the 
following  legend  is  given  of  the  origin  of  the  sacredness  of  this  queer 
place:  — When  the  younger  brother  of  the  Sun  goddess  was  on  his  way 
to  the  lower  world,  he  was  overtaken  by  night  at  this  spot,  and  sought 
shelter  with  an  old  couple.  To  protect  them  from  a pestilence,  which 
he  foresaw  would  attack  the  village,  he  fastened  a straw  rope  round 
their  house,  and  the  plague,  when  it  came,  left  it  untouched.  This  is 
the  origin  of  the  straw  bands  offered  at  this  shrine. 


288 


UNBEATEN  TRACKS  IN  JAPAN. 


ful  islands,  revelled  in  splotches  of  scarlet  and  ciimson 
here  and  there  among  the  dark  coniferae,  marvelled  ai 
a rude  double  temple,  one  half  Shinto,  with  the  chief 
object  of  adoration  a rude  block  of  rock  shaped  lilie  a 
junk,  the  other  half  filled  with  idols  of  Kwan-non,  shiv- 
ered for  half  an  hour  over  hibacld.,  hurried  down  the 
mountain,  regained  our  kurumas,  and,  after  a short, 
picturesque  jolt,  rattled  down  a steep  wooded  hill  to 
the  entrance  to  the  Naiku  shrine.  Near  it  is  a most 
peculiar  street,  composed  entirely  of  most  peculiar 
shops,  which  consist  solely  of  covered  doma  or  “ earth- 
spaces,”  with  hundreds  of  whistles,  wooden  flutes,  rice 
ladles,  and  small,  rude  images  of  Dalkoku,  ranged  on 
racks  up  the  walls. 

The  entrance  to  the  shrines  is  very  grand ; a straight 
avenue  for  a short  distance,  from  which  one  road  turns 
to  the  right  under  a torii,  and  then  goes  forward  to  a 
solid  stone  bridge,  while  the  main  road,  winch  is  very 
broad  and  handsome,  turns  up-hill  towards  the  temples. 
On  the  left,  there  is  a building  for  the  sale  of  o-harai 
(see  p.  279),  a house  for  oflScials,  a covered  platform 
for  sacred  dances,  and  a treasury  on  stilts  ; above  these, 
a terrace  of  large  stones  with  an  extensive  pebbled 
area,  enclosed  by  a straw  rope,  and  a flight  of  steps 
leading  to  the  shrines,  the  arrangement  of  which  is 
exactly  that  of  the  Geku,  except  that  the  principal 
entrance  is  closed  by  doors  instead  of  a curtain.  There 
our  runners  “ worshipped,”  and  threw  down  their  rin 
on  a white  cloth.  Do  they  think,  I wonder,  that  we 
have  added  the  gods  of  Ise  to  our  objects  of  worslnp? 

The  sombre  evening  fell  fast,  and  in  its  shadows  the 
darkness  of  the  superb  groves  of  camphor  and  crypto- 
meria,  some  of  winch  are  of  colossal  size,  became  abso- 
lutely funereal.  We  were  the  only  visitors ; a dismal 
wind  sighed  through  the  trees,  dim  lamps,  one  by  one, 


UNSANCTIFIEB  PILGRIM  RESORTS. 


289 


began  to  glimmer  through  the  gloom,  our  footsteps 
sounded  harshly  on  the  gravel,  and  in  the  profound 
melancholy  which  surrounds  the  shrines  of  a faith 
which  was  always  dead,  and  has  never  lifted  men 
towards  a higher  life,^  I involuntarily  quickened  mj 
pace,  for  I felt  as  if  the  ghosts  of  the  dead  ages  were 
after  me ! It  was  good  to  see  houses  and  living  men 
again,  and  to  be  able  to  hire  lanterns  for  our  kurumas. 

A fine  road  runs  from  the  Geku  to  the  Naiku  shrines, 
a distance  of  about  3 2 miles,  terminating  at  the  Naiku 
in  a fine  stone  bridge,  with  uprights  with  bronze  finials, 
and  a lofty  torii.  The  towns  Uji,  Ushidani,  and  Furui- 
chi,  occupy  much  of  the  distance.  They  flourish  by  the 
entertainment  of  pilgrims,  and  the  sale  of  trumpery 
relics,  and  in  the  dim  light  looked  solid  and  handsome 
with  their  long  lines  of  yadoyas,  tea-houses,  and 

various  places  of  entertainment,  suggestive  of  everything 
but  sanctity.  Along  the  road,  at  suitable  distances  on 
both  sides,  are  grand  stone  lanterns,  roofed  with  bronze, 
standing  on  stone  pedestals  of  five  steps  each,  and  their 
dim,  melancholy  light,  altogether  unworthy  of  their 
superb  appearance,  made  the  descent  into  the  absolute 
darkness  of  Yainada  almost  appalling. 

Our  host  has  come  in  to  ask  us  to  write  lines  ol 
poetry  to  hang  upon  his  walls,  so  I must  conclude. 

1.  L.  B. 


r See  Appendix  B. 


•?90 


UNBEATEN  TRACKS  IN  JAPAN. 


LAKE  BIWA. 

My  Kuruma-rwmer  — Stupid  Curiosity  — The  Cityof  Tsu—  ABuidh- 
ist  Temple — Road  Mending — The  Pass  of  Tsuzaka  — The  T6 
kaidd  — Lake  Biwa  — The  “Temperance  Pledge” — A Matsuri. 

Otsu,  Lake  Biwa,  November  15. 

Three  more  days  of  travelling  have  brought  us  here, 
and  in  three  hours  we  shall  be  in  Kiyoto.  I wish  we 
were  beginning  our  tour  instead  of  ending  it,  or  rathei 
that  we  were  starting  on  another.  Everjdhing  has  been 
so  smooth  and  pleasant,  and  so  unexpectedly  interesting, 
and  the  people  have  been  so  kind  and  courteous,  as  thej 
always  are,  away  from  the  beaten  track.  Mrs.  Gulick’s 
cheerfulness  and  kindness  have  nevor  varied,  and,  if  I 
had  ever  felt  inclined  to  grumble,  the  unwearied  good 
nature,  brightness,  and  kindness  of  my  runner  would 
have  rebuked  me.  I cannot  tell  you  how  sorry  I am  to 
part  with  this  faithful  creature,  or  how  I shall  miss  his 
willing  services,  hideous  face,  and  blanket-swathed  form. 
But  no,  he  is  not  hideous ! No  face,  beaming  with  hon- 
esty and  kindness,  can  ever  be  so,  and  I like  to  look  at 
his,  and  to  hope  that  one  day  it  may  be  said  of  him,  as 
of  a child,  “ of  such  is  the  kingdom  of  heaven.” 

We  left  Yamada  early  on  the  12th,  retraced  our  route 
as  far  as  Rokken,  and  reached  the  important  town  of 
Tsu,  late  in  the  afternoon,  by  a fine  road  leading  through 
a very  prosperous  and  populous  countr}'  of  rice-swamps 
of  large  size,  between  wooded  hills  and  the  sea.  The 
evening  was  cold  and  clear,  and  the  town  looked  its  best 


4 TRADING  CITY. 


291 


The  crowded  yadoya  was  very  unpromising-looking, 
but  we  got  a quiet  back  room,  and,  by  dint  of  hugging 
hibachi,  and  loading  ourselves  with  futons^  managed  to 
keep  ourselves  from  freezing,  and  not  to  be  more  than 
a little  stiff  with  cold  when  we  got  up  the  next  morning 
to  find  a brilliant  frosty  day  with  a keen  north  wind. 
The  servants  watched  our  ways  with  stupid  curiosity, 
asked  us  if  we  slept  in  our  shoes,  and  remarked  that  it 
was  very  long  since  we  had  blacked  our  teeth ! Police- 
men with  courteous  manners  paid  us  a visit ; in  the 
evening  Mrs.  Gidick  went  to  a lonely  qiiarter  of  the 
town  to  call  upon  the  parents  of  a girl  who  had  been  in 
the  American  School  in  Kiy6to,  and  the  next  morning, 
the  father  returned  the  visit,  dressed  very  richly  in  silk, 
and  bringing  a present  of  fine  sweetmeats,  with  a sym- 
bolical piece  of  seaweed  attached. 

Few  people  in  England  have  heard  of  Tsu,  and  when 
I proposed  to  visit  it,  I found  few  among  the  foreigners 
at  K8be  who  knew  of  it,  and  it  lies  so  off  the  track  of 
foreign  travel,  that  Europeans  are  a rare  spectacle,  and, 
consequently,  we  trailed  a prodigious  crowd  after  us, 
with  policemen  hovering  upon  its  skirts  to  keep  us  from 
undue  pressure.  This  obscure  Tsu  is  a city  of  83,000 
people,  divided  into  three  parts  by  rivers  which  are 
crossed  by  fine  bridges,  with  long,  parallel  streets  crossed 
by  shorter  ones  at  right  angles,  fine  public  buildings,  a 
normal  school,  a new  hospital  on  a height,  two  streets  of 
temples,  an  open  room  inscribed  in  English  with  “News 
for  every  man’s  reading,”  and  chairs  and  tables  covered 
with  newspapers  inside,  a great  trade  in  coarse  blue  pot- 
tery, silks,  and  green  mosquito  gauze,  curio  shops  in 
numbers,  with  the  finest  antique  bronzes  I have  seen, 
and  small  pieces  of  old  gold  lacquer  on  which  connois- 
seurs might  spend  a fortune,  pottery  and  sweetmeat 
shops,  the  remains  of  a daimiyd'^  castle,  with  a fine  moat, 


292 


UNBEATEN  TRACKS  IN  JAPAN. 


stone-faced  embankments,  with  towers  at  their  corners, 
a large  telegraph  office,  and,  in  the  outskirts,  rows  ol 
wheelwrights’  sheds,  where  men  were  making  cart- 
wheels without  tires.  The  main  street  terminates  in  a 
fine  double-roofed  gateway  and  a pavement  lined  with 
booths,  leading  into  temple  grounds,  as  at  Asakusa. 
There  is  a popular  temple,  crowded  and  shabby,  but  the 
lanterns  in  its  portico,  the  candles  and  lamps  by  the 
shrine,  the  cat-like  tread  of  priests,  the  bell-accompanied 
litanies,  and  the  mumbled  petitions  of  worshippers,  hea- 
then though  they  are,  were,  in  some  sense,  refreshing 
after  the  intolerable  emptiness  of  Shintfi. 

Tsu,  though  so  near  the  shi-ines  of  Is^,  is  a Buddhist 
city,  and  its  two  streets  of  temples,  with  their  grand 
gateways,  paved  coirrts,  and  priests’  houses,  are  quite 
imposing.  Some  of  these  gateways  are  pierced  by 
“ Saxon  ” arches,  the  only  architectural  arches  I have 
seen  in  Japan.  Somehow  I left  Tsu  with  regret ; it 
looked  a very  prosperous  and  thoroughly  Japanese  city, 
and  the  people  Avere  remarkably  kind  also.  We  left  at 
eleven,  when  the  sun  was  high  and  bright,  lighting  up 
the  shining  evergreens  and  glowing  autumnal  tints  of  a 
pretty,  hilly  region,  where  Aullages  Avith  their  deep  brown 
roofs  peeped  from  among  pines  and  maples.  Soon  after 
leaAung  Tsu  we  diverged  to  the  village  of  Isshiuden, 
visited  two  of  the  grandest  temples  in  Japan,  which  ap 
pear  to  be  unknown  to  foreigners,  had  a delightful  day’s 
journey  through  very  pretty  country,  and,  in  the  after- 
noon, passing  imder  a fine  torii.,  struck  the  beaten  track 
at  Seki  on  the  TSkaidfi,  the  historic  highway  of  Japan, 
the  great  road  from  Tokiyfi  to  Kiyfito.  From  S^ki  to 
Otsu  it  is  a narroAV  carriage-road,  in  some  places  full  of 
ruts  and  holes,  the  latter  having  been  “ mended  ” for  the 
recent  journey  of  the  Mikado,  by  being  filled  up  Avitb 
tAAUgs  covered  with  mats.  After  leaving  S^ki  it  plunges 


A PASS  ON  THE  t6kAID6. 


293 


at  once  into  lovely  country,  pursues  the  course  of  a 
mountain  stream,  with  which  it  is  shut  in  by  steep, 
picturesque  hills,  and  then  further  progress  is  apparently 
barred  by  a ridge  with  a beautiful  village  with  houses  on 
stone  terraces  clustering  on  its  wooded  acclivity.  This 
mountain  wall,  the  pass  of  Tsuzuka,  is  crossed  by  six- 
teen or  seventeen  zigzags,  from  50  to  100  feet  in  length, 


TEMPLE  GATEWAY  AT  ISSHINDEN. 


built  out  from  the  hill-side  on  fine  terraces,  very  steep, 
with  sharp  turns,  and  stout  railings  to  prevent  the  un- 
wary from  tumbling  over.  We  climbed  it  in  the  lemon- 
coloured  twilight,  revelling  in  the  beautiful  view,  and 
enjoying  the  balsamic  odours  of  pines  which  came  up 
on  the  frosty  air,  got  lanterns  on  the  summit,  and,  after 
a ratitling  run  of  an  hour  in  the  darkness,  reached  the 


294 


UNBEATEN  TRACKS  IN  JAPAN. 


town  of  Tsuchiyama,  whose  pine-covered,  hills  stood  out 
boldly  against  a starlit  sky ; slept  in  a large  yadoya^^ 
where  the  servants  showed  unusual  agility ; hugged 
hibachi.,  were  half-frozen  during  the  night  in  a detached 
suite  of  rooms  in  a garden  ; yesterday  crossed  the  Matsu- 
no-gawa,  and  followed  its  course  for  some  time,  and 
then,  after  some  miles  of  wrinkled  white  sandhills,  ar 
rived  at  Lake  Biwa,  crossed  the  Setagawa,  paid  a second 
visit  lo  the  beauties  of  Ishiyama,  and  reached  the  inter- 
minable street  of  Otsu  after  dark. 

TLi  Tokaidd  is  the  most  beaten  track  of  travel  in 
Japan,  but  in  this  cold  weather  travellers  are  scarce, 
and  we  and  our  runners  were  the  only  guests  in  the 
great  rambling  tea-house  last  night.  From  Seki  here 
there  are  long  towns  and  long  villages  nearly  the  whole 
way,  with  numbers  of  great  tea-houses  and  yadoyas  with 
from  twenty  to  forty  rooms,  together  and  in  detached 
suites,  with  running  streams,  stone  bridges,  and  all  the 
quaintnesses  possible  to  the  conceit  of  the  owners. 
The  house  masters  and  mistresses  are  active  and  polite, 
the  servants  agde  and  well  dressed,  the  accommodation 
admirable,  the  equipments  beautiful  — in  short,  the 
Tdkaidd  is  the  Japan  of  tourists,  and  needs  no  descrip- 
tion of  mine.  The  industries  of  its  villages  are  mani- 
fold, some  produce  and  sell  nothing  but  salc6  gourds  of 
all  sizes  (a  salcS  gourd  being  an  essential  part  of  the 
equipment  of  most  Japanese  travellers),  others  make 
shrines,  and  ornamental  baskets  and  basket  hats  are  the 
specialties  of  Mina-Kochi,  a large  town  with  fine  stone- 
faced embankments,  the  remains  of  a daimiyo's  castle. 

Lake  Biwa  is  a noble  sheet  of  water  forty-five  miles 
long,^  its  west  shore  and  head  dark  with  masses  of 

’ I have  omitted  my  letters  from  Lake  Biva  and  its  neighbourhood, 
as  well  as  most  of  those  from  KiyOto,  because  these  regions  are  on  the 
“beaten  track;”  but  no  popular  resorts  in  Japan  are  lovelier  than 


THE  “ TEMPEBANCE  PLEDGE.” 


295 


piled- up,  forest-covered  mountains,  and  its  east  a smil- 
ing region  of  garden  cultivation.  It  is  said  that  besides 
Otsu,  Hikone,  and  some  other  towns,  1800  thriving  vil- 
lages fringe  its  coasts,  its  waters  are  whitened  with 
sails,  and  a brisk  traffic  is  ah  o carried  on  by  small 


steamers.  It  is  a great  resort  of  pleasure-seekers,  and 
its  tea-houses  are  famous. 

Near  Kusatsu  I noticed  some  men’s  top-knots  hung 
up  on  a shrine,  and  found,  on  inquiry,  that  it  is  not  un- 
common for  people  who  have  suffered  very  deeply  from 
the  evils  of  intemperance,  to  take  a vow  of  “ total  absti- 
nence ” and  offer  it  to  the  god  Kompira,  who  is  sup- 

Hiyeizan,  the  “priests’  mountain,”  Sakamoto  the  “priests’  village,” 
and  the  hill  groves  and  temples  of  Miidera  and  of  Ishiyama-no-dera  — 
scenes  which  Japanese  art  and  literature  are  perpetually  reproducing  in 
painting  and  poetry. 


296 


UNBEATEN  TRACKS  IN  JAPAN. 


posed  to  take  special  cognisance  of  vows,  and  to  punish 
those  who  break  them  with  great  severity.  Such  per- 
sons cut  off  their  top-knots  and  hang  them  up  on  the 
shrines  of  this  idol  in  token  of  their  resolves.  Japan 
is  not  a quarter  as  intemperate  as  Britain,  but  still 
drunkenness  is  one  of  its  great  evils,  and  I have  seen 
some  scenes  of  dissolute  dissipation,  specially  in  the 
gardens  of  Shinkakuji,  near  KiySto,  which  I shall  not 
soon  forget. 

On  arriving  here  we  found  the  town  illuminated  with 
paper  lanterns,  and  that,  by  exceptional  good  fortune, 
we  had  lighted  upon  the  grandest  matmri  of  the  year, 
that  of  the  god  Shhmomiya.  Thousands  of  strangers 
had  already  arrived,  and  thousands  more  are  pouring  in 
from  Kiydto  and  the  countless  villages  of  Lake  Biwa ; 
but  full  as  Otsu  is,  our  worthy  host  only  asks  8d.  each 
for  our  room  — a very  good  one  — a hibachi,  andon,  and 
unlimited  rice  and  tea  for  two  meals.  We  hurried 
through  a supper  of  bonito  steak  with  a carrion-like 
flavour,  and  spent  the  evening  among  the  crowds  out- 
side, seeing  a veritable  transformation  scene,  for  the 
long,  mean  streets  were  glorified  by  light  and  colour, 
the  shop  fronts  were  gone,  and  arches  and  festoons  of 
coloured  lanterns  turned  the  whole  into  fairyland. 

To  begin  with,  every  house  had  a lantern  three  feet 
long  hanging  outside  it,  with  the  characters  forming 
the  god’s  name  on  one  side  and  a black  or  red  tomoyi 
on  the  other. 

The  removal  of  fusuma  had  transformed  shops  into 
large  spaces,  with  backs  and  sides  of  splendid  folding 
screens  with  peonies,  lotuses,  and  irises  painted  on  a 
dead  gold  ground.  The  mats  were  covered  with  Kiyoto 
rugs  ; a hibachi,  and  two  or  tlrree  fanciful  lamps  were  in 
the  centre  of  each ; a man  crouched  over  every  hibachi, 
and  in  most  cases  two  or  three  friends  were  smoking  or 


TABLEAUX  VIVANTS. 


297 


flipping  tea  with  him.  Apparently  the  people  vied  with 
each  other  in  the  beauty  of  the  decorations  which  they 
displayed  to  the  streets.  Some  of  the  houses  really 
looked  like  fairy  scenes,  especially  two,  in  which  the 
trappings  of  the  idol  cars  were  displayed,  mythological 
scenes  in  very  ancient  needlework,  so  exquisitely  fine, 
that  for  some  time  I supposed  them  to  be  paintings, 
lacquer  and  gold  filagree  stands  supporting  valuable 
rock  crystal  balls,  and  black  and  gold  lacquer  railings 
— all  the  bequest  of  centuries  of  heathenism.  On 
every  floor  there  was  a vase  of  magnificent  chrysanthe- 
mums, and  an  orderly  crowd  of  many  thousands  quietly 
promenaded  the  narrow  streets,  admir- 
ing and  comparing,  the  tableaux  vivants 
in  the  house  fronts  nowise  moved  by 
all.  At  the  intersections  of  all  the 
streets  there  were  strings  of  lanterns 
one  above  another  in  harmoniously 
blended  colours  to  a height  of  twenty- 
five  feet,  and  matsuri  cars  for  to-day’s 
procession  twenty  feet  high,  with  canopied  platforms  on 
their  tops,  reached  by  gangways  from  the  house  roofs, 
with  festoons  of  lanterns,  and  on  each  car  ten  boys 
beating  drums  and  gongs,  and  two  men  playing  flutes, 
kept  up  a din  truly  diabolical. 

We  dived  down  a dark,  lonely  street,  and  passing 
through  a slit  in  the  wall  of  the  court  of  the  great 
ShintQ  temple,  came  upon  a blaze  of  light,  and  a din  of 


TOMOTB.* 


1 The  tomoyi  is  found  throughout  Japan.  All  terminal  tiles  of  roofs 
or  walls  which  do  not  bear  the  badge  of  the  owner’s  family,  are  im- 
pressed with  it.  It  is  seen  on  one  side  of  all  lanterns  used  in  matsuri 
illuminations,  on  all  drums  at  the  tanabata  festival,  among  the  wood- 
carving and  arabesques  of  temjdes,  and  is  the  most  common  ornament 
in  the  Empire,  besides  being  the  second  badge  of  the  once  powerful 
house  of  Arima.  It  is  supposed  (in  Buddhism)  to  be  a sign  of  the  heap- 
ing up  of  myriads  of  good  influences,  good  luck,  long  life,  etc.;  but  it 
seems  impossible  to  explain  its  origin. 


298 


UNBEATEN  TRACKS  IN  JAPAN. 


revelry  partly  inspired  by  sake.  Along  tne  pavements 
there  were  brilliantly-lighted  booths  for  the  sale  of 
oranges  and  persimmons,  and  heathenish  toys  of  all 
kinds,  among  which  toy  torii,  mikoshi  or  arks  containing 
“ divine  ” property  or  emblems,  shrines,  and  festival 
cars  were  selling  in  hundreds,  to  decorated  doll  chil- 
dren. The  temple  platforms  were  illuminated,  and 
mikoshi  of  black  lacquer,  gorgeous  with  gold,  were  dis- 
played under  their  canopies;  priestesses  in  white  ki- 
mono and  crimson  silk  hakama,  with  attendants  beating 
small  drums,  and  vases  of  chrysanthemum  and  Cleyera 
Jayonica  around  them,  sat  on  other  platforms,  painted 
and  motionless ; a temple  attendant  thumped  a big 
drum,  and  piles  of  plain  deal  se?;,  with  offerings  of  Clcy- 
era  Japonica.,  rice,  and  sake.,  were  heaped  up  before  the 
principal  idol’s  shrine.  The  shrine  of  the  fox  god  was 
also  a great  centre  of  attraction,  and  round  shrines  and 
platforms  in  the  soft,  coloured  light  surged  a crowd  of 
men,  women,  and  cliildren,  dressed  in  their  best,  buy- 
ing, selling,  laughing,  singing,  clattermg  bells,  and 
blowing  flutes — light,  mirth,  and  music  being  at  their 
height  about  ten,  when  a few  small  drops  of  rain  fell, 
the  crowd  melted  away,  and  in  a few  minutes  the 
streets  were  dark  and  silent. 

But  this  mornmg  is  fine,  and  Otsu  is  gay  and 
crowded.  At  an  earl}^  hour,  with  much  discord  sup- 
posed to  be  music,  the  mikoshi  were  brought  in  state 
from  the  sacred  platforms,  and  were  placed  on  the  cars, 
wliich  are  beings  draqored  through  the  streets  at  the  rate 
of  a mile  in  an  hour  and  a half,  the  priestesses  per- 
formed a sacred  dance,  the  offerings  were  multiplied, 
and  the  festival  is  at  its  height.  Otsu  is  famous  for  the 
number  and  magnificence  of  its  matsuri  cars,  of  which 
there  are  thirteen,  but  we  only  saw  three.  The  Shintfi 
“ godowns  ” must  be  treasures  of  priceless  antique  art 
bare  as  the  temples  are. 


MATSURI  CARS. 


299 


Each  car  consists  of  a massive,  oblong,  black  lacquer 
body  on  a lacquer  platform,  on  two  solid,  tireless  wheels 
of  brown  lacquer,  with  a smaller  wheel  in  front.  On 
the  top  there  is  a platform  with  a heavy  railing  of  black 
and  gold  lacquer,  a solid  back,  and  a lofty  canopy  of 
black  lacquer  lined  with  red  lacquer,  heavily  gilded, 
and  with  a big  gilded  eagle  at  its  siunmit.  In  front 
there  were  male  and  female  figures,  one  standing,  the 
other  seated,  in  cloth  of  gold  dresses  of  great  beauty. 
Behind  these,  ten  boys,  as  last  night,  were  ceaselessly 
beating  drums  and  gongs,  and  two  men  were  playing 
flutes,  all  at  the  level  of  the  house  roofs.  Below  the 
platform  there  were  valances  of  very  rich  needlework, 
and  at  the  back  a kakemono  of  glorious  needlework, 
almost  or  quite  priceless,  the  ground  being  worked  in  a 
fine  gold  thread  no  longer  made.  An  antiquity  of  eight 
centuries  is  claimed  for  these  decorations.  The  cars 
were  dragged  along  by  a curious  team,  marshalled  by 
two  men  in  glazed  peaked  hats  and  winged  garments  of 
calico,  carrying  ancient  staffs  with  rings  at  the  top  of 
much-corroded  iron,  such  as  are  often  placed  in  the 
hands  of  statues  of  Buddhas,  the  team  consisting  of 
thirty  men  in  blue  and  white  striped  trousers  and  dark- 
blue  liaori  with  the  characters  representing  the  god 
upon  them.  These  tugged  the  unwieldy  erections  by 
stout  ropes,  and  as  many  more,  similarly  attired,  as- 
sisted the  ponderous  wheels  with  levers.  The  master 
of  the  ceremonies  was  a manikin  in  a European  dress 
suit  of  black  broadcloth,  with  a broad  expanse  of  shirt 
front,  and  a white  necktie  with  long  ends  ! ! ! 

Kiydto.,  November  16.  — We  arrived  here  yesterday 
morning,  and  it  is  a tribute  to  the  security  which  for- 
eigners enjoy  in  this  orderly  and  peaceable  hand,  that 
cwo  foreign  ladies,  without  even  a servant,  have  trav- 
elled for  nearly  200  miles,  and  mainly  through  a region 


300 


UNBEATEN  TRACKS  IN  JAPAN. 


in  which  Europeans  are  rarely  seen,  not  only  without  a 
soli  dary  instance  of  extortion,  incivility,  or  annoyance, 
but  receiving  courtesy  and  kindness  everywhere. 


I.  L.  B. 


niNERAUY. 


301 


ITINERARY  OF  ROUTE  FROM  Kn'dxO  TO  YAMADA 
(Shrinks  of  Ise),  AND  BY  TSU  TO  KIY6tO. 

Ri.  CM 

Kiyoto  to  Nara  . ...  11  20 

Nara  to  Tambaichi 2 18 

Miwa 2 5 

Has^-dera  or  IlatsoB^ 1 23 

Haibara 1 8 

Higenashi 2 23 

Nobari-shita . . 2 12 

Awoyama 4 3 

Rokken 4 13 

Matsuzaka 1 18 

Rushida 1 26 

Yamada 1 

Rokken  ..........  5 8 

Tsu  3 

Kubota 1 

Kusuhara 3 

Sdki 1 

By  TOkaido  to  KiyOto 24 

78  28 


About  185^  miles. 


302 


UNBEATEN  TRACES  IN  JAPAN. 


PROSPECTS  OF  CHRISTIANITY. 

Water-Wa7S  in  Osaka  — Glimpses  of  Domestic  Life  — Ladies’  Peti 
— The  Position  of  Women — Imperial  Example  — The  Medical 
Mission  — A Japanese  Benevolent  Institution  — A Comfortless 
Arrival  — A Christian  Gathering  — The  Prison  at  Otsu  — Pros- 
pects of  Christianity  — Blankness  of  Heathenism. 

Kobe,  December  3,  1878. 

On  my  way  from  KiyOto  I spent  three  days  at  6saka 
with  Miss  M , who,  having  the  charge  of  two  Japan- 

ese children,  and  bemg  in  Japanese  emplo3Tnent,  is 
allowed  to  live  in  a little  house  in  the  most  densely 
peopled  part  of  the  great  commercial  capital  with  its 
600,000  souls.  Aided  by  her  kindness  and  her  small 
amount  of  Japanese,  I saw  many  of  the  Osaka  sights 
and  most  of  the  huge,  busy  city,  but  was  impressed  by 
nothing  so  much  as  by  the  numerous  waterways  and 
their  innumerable  bridges,  a few  of  which  are  stone  or 
iron  ; the  canals  quayed  with  stone ; the  massive  flights 
of  stone  stairs  down  to  the  water ; the  houses  vith 
overhanging  balconies  draped  with  trailers ; the  broad, 
quayed  roadways  along  the  rivers,  with  weeping  wil- 
lows on  one  side  and  ancient  yashikis  and  rice  godowns 
on  the  other ; the  hundreds  of  junks  and  small  boats 
moving  up  or  down  wdth  every  tide ; the  signs  of  an 
enormo  is  commerce  eveiy  where,  the  floating  tea-houses, 
and  house-boats  wdth  matted  roofs,  and  the  islands  with 
tea-houses  and  pleasure-grounds.  But  the  sights  of 
Osaka,  like  those  of  KiyOto,  are  on  the  best  beaten 


GLIMPSES  OF  DOMESTIC  LIFE. 


303 


tourist  track,  and  you  can  read  more  or  less  about  them 
in  every  book  on  Japan. 

I made  the  acquaintance  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Warren  of 
the  C.  M.  S.,  and  of  Dr.  Taylor  and  others  connected 
with  the  American  mission.  Mr.  Warren  has  great 
facility  in  colloquial  Japanese,  and  a hearty,  hopeful 
spirit,  preaches  and  itinerates  exteiisively,  has  a daily 
evening  service  attended  by  from  forty  to  fifty  people, 
and  has  large  expectations  of  success.  The  American 
ladies  conduct  girls’  schools,  but  very  specially  en- 
deavour to  make  acquaintance  with  Japanese  women 
in  their  own  homes  with  the  assistance  of  a Japanese 
Bible-woman,  and  I had  some  curious  glimpses  into  the 
domestic  life  of  the  richer  people,  one  being  a visit  to  a 
lady  whose  husband  holds  high  official  rank,  and  whose 
house  is  purely  Japanese.  Miss  had  become  ac- 

quainted with  her  through  her  desire  to  know  the  way 
in  which  European  mothers  care  for  their  own  and  their 
children’s  health,  Avhich  led  the  way  to  intelligent  in- 
quiries into  Christianity.  On  our  visit  we  were  con- 
ducted through  various  large  rooms  into  a low  one 
about  ten  feet  square,  with  lattice  fret-work,  only  ad- 
mitting a dim  light.  The  lady,  who  is  haggard  and  by 
no  means  pretty,  but  who,  fortunately  for  herself,  is  a 
mother,  received  us  with  much  dignitjq  aud  immediately 
opened  the  conversation  by  inquiries  about  the  position 
of  European  women.  She  looked  intelligent,  restless, 
and  unhappy,  and,  I thought,  chafed  under  the  re- 
stiaints  of  custom,  as  she  said  that  no  Japanese  woman 
could  start  for  foreign  countries  alone,  and  she  envied 
foreigners  their  greater  liberty.  She  produced  a map 
and  traced  my  route  upon  it,  but  seemed  more  inter- 
ested in  other  countries  than  in  her  own.  A very 
pretty  girl,  with  singular  grace  and  charm  of  manner, 
came  in  and  sat  down  beside  her,  equally  well  dressed 


304 


UNBEATEN  TRACES  IN  JAPAN. 


in  silk,  but  not  a legal  wife.  The  senior  wife  obtaina 
great  credit  for  her  kind  and  sisterly  treatment  of  her, 
which,  according  to  Japanese  notions,  is  the  path  of 
true  wisdom.  There  was  an  attendant  in  the  shape  of 
a detestable  “Chin,”  something  like  a King  Cliarles’s 
spaniel  with  a broken  nose : an  artificially  dwarfed 
creature,  with  glassy,  prominent  eyes,  very  cross  and 
delicate,  and  dressed  in  a warm  coat.  These  objection 
able  lap-dogs  are  “ ladies’  pets  ” all  over  Japan. 

My  impression  is,  that,  according  to  our  notions, 
the  Japanese  wife  is  happier  in  the  poorer  than  in  the 
richer  classes.  She  works  hard,  but  it  is  rather  as 
the  partner  than  the  drudge  of  her  husband.  Nor,  in  the 
same  class,  are  the  unmarried  girls  secluded,  but,  within 
certain  limits,  they  possess  complete  freedom.  Women 
undoubtedly  enjoy  a more  favourable  position  than  in 
most  other  heathen  countries,  and  wives  are  presuma- 
bly vii’tuous.  Infanticide  is  very  rare.  The  birth  of  a 
daughter  is  far  from  being  an  occasion  of  mourning, 
and  gills  receive  the  same  affection  and  attention  as 
boys,  and  for  their  sphere  are  equally  carefully  edu- 
cated. 

The  women  of  the  upper  classes  are  much  secluded, 
and  always  go  out  with  attendants.  In  the  middle 
ranks  it  is  not  proper  for  a wife  to  be  seen  abroad  in 
her  husband’s  absence,  and,  to  be  above  suspicion, 
many,  under  these  circumstances,  take  an  old  woman  to 
keep  them  company.  There  are  many  painful  and  evil 
customs  to  which  I cannot  refer,  and  which  are  not 
likely  to  be  overthrown  except  by  the  reception  of  a 
true  Christianity,  some  of  them  arising  out  of  morbidly 
exaggerated  notions  of  filial  piety;  but  even  in  past 
times  women  have  not  been  “ downtrodden,”  but  have 
occupied  a high  place  in  history.  To  say  nothing  of 
the  fact  that  the  greatest  of  the  national  divinities  is  a 


THE  MEDICAL  MISSION. 


305 


goddesi!,  nine  empresses  have  ruled  Japan  by  “ divine 
right,”  and  in  literature,  especiallj  in  poetry,  women 
divide  the  foremost  places  with  men. 

At  present  the  reform  in  the  marriage-laws  which 
legalises  the  marriage  of  members  of  different  classes, 
the  establishment  of  high-class  schools  for  young  women, 
the  training  in  the  mission-schools,  the  widening  of  the 
area  of  female  industrial  occupation,  the  slow  but  sure 
influence  of  European  female  example,  the  weakening 
of  the  influence  of  Buddhism,  which,  in  its  rigid  dogma, 
exalts  the  conventual  above  the  domestic  life,  and  above 
all,  the  slow  permeation  of  at  least  a portion  of  the 
community  with  Christian  ideas  on  the  true  dignity  and 
position  of  maid,  matron,  and  mother,  and  the  example 
of  the  gentle  Empress  Haruku,  who  timidly  takes  the 
lead  in  all  that  specially  concerns  the  elevation  of  her 
sex,  are  all  tending  to  bring  about  a better  future  for 
Japanese  women,  who,  even  at  the  worst,  enjoy  an 
amount  of  liberty,  considerate  care,  and  respect,  which 
I am  altogether  surprised  to  find  m a heathen  country. 
It  is  even  to  be  hoped  that  things  may  not  go  too  far, 
and  that  the  fear  of  the  Meiroku  Zasshi^  that  “ the  pow- 
er of  women  will  grow  gradually,  and  eventually  become 
so  overwhelming  that  it  will  be  impossible  to  control  it,” 
may  not  be  realised  ! ^ 

The  Medical  Mission,  both  at  Hiogo  and  Osaka,  is 
under  the  charge  of  Dr.  Taylor,  a blunt  and  unaffected, 
as  well  as  zealous  and  honest,  missionary,  by  no  means 
enthusiastic,  or  inclined  to  magnify  what  is  emphatically 
“ a day  of  small  things.”  I visited  both  liis  dispensaries, 

1 "Within  the  last  few  months,  since  the  establishment  of  representa- 
tive Local  Assemblies  with  control  over  local  taxation,  women  have 
been  awaking  t ) an  idea  of  their  “ rights,”  and  in  some  cases  liave  actu- 
ally written  to  the  papers,  stating  that,  where  they  jiay  taxes  and  bear 
part  of  the  national  burdens,  it  is  only  just  that  they  should  exercise  the 
elective  franchise  1 


306 


JNBEATEN  TRACES  IN  JAPAN. 


or  rather  consulting-rooms,  and  it  is  interesting  to  ob 
serve  that  both  he  and  Dr.  Berr}"  (who  has  been  very 
successful,  and  has  won  the  goodwill  of  the  Govern- 
ment by  his  courtesy  and  suavity)  employ  a different 
Planner  of  working  from  that  pursued  by  Dr.  Palm  at 
Niigata,  being  less  independent,  and  less  apparently  mis- 
sionary. Dr.  Taylor  works  almost  exclusively  thi'ough 
the  native  doctors,  and  receives  no  money  either  for 
advice  or  medicine.  He  acts  much  as  a consulting-physi- 
cian. The  doctors  bring  the  patients  to  him,  he  writes 
prescriptions,  which  are  made  up  at  any  drug  store,  and 
afterwards  lectures  on  the  more  important  cases.  There 
are  500  Japanese  doctors  in  Osaka,  and  a number  of 
these  have  organised  a private  hospital,  of  which  they 
have  asked  Dr.  T.  to  be  consulting-physician.  The  six 
whom  I saw  were  remarkably  shrewd,  superior-looking 
men.  Dr.  Taylor  has  many  requests  to  go  to  outlying 
towns  at  stated  intervals,  and  in  these  cases  the  doctors 
pay  his  expenses. 

The  dispensary  in  Hiogo  is  strictly  a Japanese  Benev- 
olent Institution,  to  which  eight  Japanese  doctors  give 
monthly  subscriptions,  besides  gratuitous  advice  to  the 
very  poor.  Dr.  Taylor  goes  there,  and  sees  about  forty 
patients  every  Monday,  his  travelling  expenses  being 
paid.  Where  people  cannot  pay  for  medicines,  etc.,  a 
group  of  benevolent  persons  subscribes  to  procure 
them,  and  the  Kobe  native  Christians  provide  medicines 
and  other  requisites  for  all  indigent  persons  belonging 
to  theh  body.  In  surgical  cases  from  a distance  a room 
is  taken  at  a neighbouring  yadoya,  and  the  patient  pays 
a nurse ; but  in  the  case  of  the  destitute,  all  the  ex 
penses  are  borne  by  the  subscriptions  to  the  dispensary. 
Dr.  Taylor  prays  when  the  patients  have  assembled,  but 
does  not  give  an  address. 

At  Tkinagi,  forty  miles  from  Kobe,  the  Japanese  doc- 


A COMFORTLESS  ARRIVAL. 


307 


tors  condact  a similar  dispensary,  organised  by  Dr. 
Berry,  and  dispensaries  now  exist  in  many  other  places, 
as  the  indirect  result  of  medical  missionary  work,  and 
the  now  “ flourishing  ” mission-stations  of  Sanda,  Hi- 
kone,  and  Akashi,  were  all  opened  by  direct  medical 
missionary  effort. 

On  November  26,  Mrs.  Gulick  and  T went  a day’s 
journey  into  the  mountains,  through  exquisite  scenery, 
glorious  with  autumnal  colouring,  to  Arima,  a pictur- 
esque village,  much  resorted  to  by  foreigners  during 
the  heat  of  summer,  and  famous  for  bamboo-baskets 
and  straw-boxes,  which  can  now  be  bought  in  any  quan- 
tity in  London  ; and  from  thence  rattled  down,  through 
a woodland  region,  to  Sanda,  a town  of  2000  people 
(formerly  a daimi^d’s  town),  in  a rice  valley.  We 
reached  it  in  the  dusk  of  a chilly  November  afternoon, 
but  I will  not  dwell  upon  the  cold  and  discomfort,  or  tell 
how  we  got  the  key  of  an  unoccupied  house,  all  damp 
and  decayed-looking,  Avith  the  floor  littered  with  the 
rubbish  left  by  the  last  occupant ; how  a man  came  in 
and  sawed  up  some  damp  wood ; how  we  made  a fire 
in  a stove,  Avhich,  having  been  heavily  oiled,  gave  off  a 
black,  abominable  smoke,  which  compelled  us  to  dis- 
pense with  it ; how  we  found  some  food  among  the  re- 
mains of  some  old  stores,  and  spent  nearly  four  hours 
in  preparing  it  for  supper  and  breakfast;  how  hope- 
lessly cold  the  night  was,  and  how  dark  and  drizzling 
the  morning,  for  our  discomfort  arose  out  of  what  con- 
stituted the  interest  of  our  visit  — that  we  were  un- 
expected. 

The  upper  part  of  Sanda  is  on  a steepish  hill,  and  is 
almost  entirely  composed  of  large  old  houses,  with 
grounds  enclosed  by  high  walls,  the  dwellings  of  samur 
rai,  who  clustered  round  the  castle,  which  is  the  nucleus 
of  the  whole.  It  is  among  this  class  that  the  Christian 


308 


UNBEATEN  TBACKS  IN  JAPAN. 


converts  are  found,  and  they  have  built  a neat  llttJe 
church,  which  is  self-supporting.  We  went  forth  with 
a lantern  to  pay  some  visits  amoug  these  people,  but 
were  left  in  the  dark  to  stumble  up  the  hill,  and  to  feel 
our  way  to  the  first  house,  a large  rambling  mansion, 
with  an  old  lady  at  its  head,  who  was  sitting  under  the 
kotatsu  (p.  261)  with  her  two  sons  and  their  wives,  and 
invited  us  to  “ creep  in,”  which  we  did  for  a time,  and 
then  one  of  her  daughters-in-law  guided  us  to  several 
other  large  houses,  where  our  reception  w^as  courteous, 
and,  lastly,  to  a handsome  dwelling  occupied  by  the 
leading  physician  in  Sanda.  We  were  taken  into  a 
well-lighted  room,  with  fine  kakemono  on  the  walls,  an 
antique  bronze  in  a recess,  a grand  hihachi  in  the  centre, 
and  a fine  lamp  hanging  over  a group  of  an  elderly 
lady  in  the  place  of  honour,  the  physician,  his  wife, 
twin  daughters,  and  seven  visitors,  mcluding  a fine 
bright-looking  young  man,  second  master  in  the  Gov- 
ernment school.  Each  person  was  sitting  on  his  heels 
on  a wadded  silk  cushion,  and  each  saluted  us  "with 
three  profound  bows.  Tea,  cakes,  and  sugared  slices 
of  sweet  potato  were  passed  round,  of  which  we  par- 
took, and  were  much  laughed  at  for  our  awkwardness 
with  the  chopsticks.  There  were  light,  warmth,  com- 
fort, and  friendliness,  giving  me  a new  idea  of  what 
home  life  may  be  among  the  middle  classes,  and  a fi-ank 
geniality  of  manner,  slightly  European,  in  pleasant  com- 
bination with  Oriental  courtesy.  Of  this  group  all  are 
Christians  except  the  head  of  the  house,  and  he  is  an 
intelligent  inquirer,  and  the  object  of  the  gathering 
was  to  read  and  discuss  the  Chiistian  Scriptures  foi 
mutual  instruction,  the  Government  teacher  presidhig. 
This  reunion  takes  place  once  a week.  It  was  really 
very  intei'esting  to  drop  in  upon  it,  and  to  know  that 
tins  and  similar  gatherings  and  groups  of  Chi'istians  ii 


A CHRISTIAN  GATHERING.  SOS 

this  and  other  places  liave  come  about  as  results  of 
medical  missionary  work,  and  that  in  Sanda  and  else- 
where the  “ new  wfiy  ” is  aided  by  the  influence  of  its 
reception  by  people  of  education  and  position.  In 
Sanda,  as  in  many  other  places,  a number  of  persons 
have  become  Christians,  and  use  their  influence  and 
money  in  favour  of  Christianity,  who,  for  various  rea- 
sons, have  not  sought  baptism,  and  are  not  numbered 
among  the  converts. 

I do  not  share  the  sanguine  expectations  of  those 
about  me  as  to  a rapid  spread  of  Christianity,  but  that 
it  is  destined  to  be  a power  in  moulding  the  future  of 
Japan,  I do  not  doubt.  Among  favourable  signs  are 
that  it  is  received  as  a life  rather  than  as  a doctrine, 
and  that  various  forms  of  immorality  are  recognised  as 
incompatible  with  it.  It  is  tending  to  bind  men  to- 
gether, irrespectively  of  class,  in  a true  democracy,  in 
a very  surprising  way.  The  small  Christian  congrega- 
tions are  pecuniarily  independent,  and  are  vigorous  in 
their  efforts.  The  K6be  congregation,  numbering  350 
members,  besides  contributing  nearly  1000  dollars  to 
erect  a church,  sustaining  its  own  poor,  providing  med- 
icine and  advice  for  its  indigent  sick,  and  paying  its 
own  pastor,  engages  in  various  forms  of  benevolent 
effort,  and  compensates  Christians  who  are  too  poor  to 
abstain  from  work  on  Sunday  for  the  loss  of  the  day’s 
wages.  At  Osaka  the  native  Christians  have  estab- 
lished a Christian  school  for  their  girls.  The  Cliristian 
students  in  Kiyflto  are  intensely  zealous,  preach  through 
the  country  in  their  vacations,  and  aim  at  nothing  less 
than  the  Christianising  of  Japan.  Christian  women  go 
among  the  villages  as  voluntary  missionaries  to  their 
own  sex.  Missionaries  and  students  who  itinerate  in 
the  interior  find,  as  a result  of  medical  or  other  mission- 
ary effort,  that  companies  of  persons  meet  to  read  such 


310 


UNBEATEN  TRACKS  JN  JAPAN. 


of  the  Scriptures  as  are  translated,  and  every  true  con 
vert  appears  anxious  to  bring  others  within  the  pale  of 
the  Christian  society. 

Doubtless  there  is  an  mdirect  influence  against  Chris- 
tianity, but  overtl3%  quiet  toleration  is  the  maxim  of 
the  Government,  and  the  profession  of  Christianity  does 
not  involve  the  loss  of  official  position.  Thus,  the 
Director  of  the  junior  department  of  the  Naval  College 
is  an  energetic  Christian,  the  second  teacher  in  the 
Sanda  School  is  the  same,  and  I have  heard  of  others 
whose  renunciation  of  the  national  faith  has  not  in- 
volved temporal  loss.  The  Government  requested  Dr 
Berry  to  take  charge  of  the  hospital  here,  and  also  to 
inspect  and  report  upon  prisons,  at  the  very  time  that 
he  was  engaged  in  earnest  medical  missionary  work  — a 
fact  which  must  have  had  some  significance  among  its 
own  subjects.  In  this  region  the  Buddhist  priests  have 
ceased  to  claim  tlie  right  to  interfere  with  the  wishes  of 
a Christian  or  his  relatives  regarding  his  interment,  or 
to  perform  heathen  rites  over  his  grave.  The  edicts 
against  Christianity  have  been  removed  from  public 
places,  and  quite  lately  the  Department  of  Religion, 
formerly  the  first  in  the  State,  was  abolished,  and  its 
business  transferred  to  a bureau  of  the  Home  Depart- 
ment. This,  however,  is  only  an  indication  of  progress 
in  a western  dfr-ection,  and  of  increasing  indifference  to 
religion.  Even  in  prisons  the  laissez  faire  principle  is 
adopted.  Several  copies  of  such  of  the  New'  Testament 
books  as  have  been  translated,  and  some  other  Chris- 
tian books  were  given  some  time  ago  by  Mr.  Neesima 
to  the  officer  of  the  prison  at  Ots\i,  w'ho,  not  caring  to 
keep  them,  gave  them  to  a man  imprisoned  for  man- 
slaughter, but  a scholar.  A few  months  ago  a fire 
broke  out,  and  100  incarcerated  persons,  instead  of  try- 
ing to  escape,  helped  to  put  out  the  flames,  and  to  a 


PBOSPECTS  OF  CHRISTIANITY. 


311 


man  remained  to  undergo  the  rest  of  their  sentences. 
This  curious  circumstance  led  to  an  inquiry  as  to  its 
cause,  and  it  turned  out  that  the  scholar  had  been  so 
impressed  with  the  truth  of  Christianity  that  he  had 
taught  it  to  his  fellow-captives,  and  Christian  piinciple, 
combined  with  his  personal  influence,  restrained  them 
from  defrauding  justice.  The  scholar  was  afterwards 
pardoned,  but  remained  in  Otsu  to  teach  more  of  the 
“ new  way  ” to  the  prisoners. 

There  cannot,  however,  be  a greater  mistake  than 
that  Japan  is  “ripe  for  the  reception  of  Christianity.” 
Though  the  labours  of  many  men  and  women  in  many 
years  have  resulted  in  making  1617  converts  to  the 
Protestant  faith,^  while  the  Romanists  claim  20,000, 
the  Greeks  3000,  and  a knowledge  of  the  essentials  of 
Christianity  is  widely  diffused  through  many  districts, 
the  fact  remains  that  SJffiOOfiOO  of  Japanese  are  sceptics 
or  materialists.,  or  are  absolutely  sunk  in  childish  and  de- 
grading superstitions.,  out  of  which  the  religious  signifi- 
cance, such  as  it  was,  has  been  lost. 

The  chief  obstacles  in  the  way  of  Christianity  are,  if 
I judge  correctly,  the  general  deadness  of  the  religious 
instinct  and  of  religious  cravings,  the  connection  of 
the  national  faiths  with  the  Japanese  reverence  for  an- 
cestors, a blank  atheism  among  the  most  influential 
classes,  a universal  immorality  which  shrinks  from  a 
gospel  of  self-denial,  and  the  spread  of  an  agnostic 
philosophy  imported  from  England,  while  the  acts  of 
“ Christian  ” nations  and  the  lives  of  “ Christian  ” men 
are  regarded  as  a more  faithful  commentary  on  the 
Law  of  Sinai  and  the  Sermon  on  the  Mount  than  that 
which  is  put  upon  them  by  the  missionaries.^ 

1 A number  which  the  ten  months  which  have  elapsed  since  this 
letter  was  written  have  increased  by  fifteen  hundred. 

® The  ruling  spirit  of  Japan  is  represented  in  the  following  extracts 
from  a paper  called,  “ Of  what  good  is  Christianity  to  Japan  ? ” which 


312 


UNBEATEN  TRACKS  IN  JAPAN. 


The  days  when  a missionary  was  “dished  up  for  din 
ner  ” ^ at  foreign  tables  are  perhaps  past,  but  the  anti- 
appeared. in  one  of  the  most  influential  of  the  Japanese  papers  on  Octo 
her  19,  1878:  — 

“ The  Christian  religion  seems  to  be  extending  by  degrees  throughout 
our  country.  . . . We  have  no  wish  to  obey  it,  nor  have  we  any  fear  ol 
being  troubled  by  it.  As  we  can  enjoy  sufiicient  happiness  without  any 
religion  whatever,  the  question  as  to  the  merits  or  demerits  of  the  differ- 
ent forms  never  enters  our  head.  Indeed,  we  are  of  those  who,  not  know 
ing  the  existence  of  religions  in  the  universe,  are  enjoying  perfect 
happiness.  We  have  no  intention  of  either  supporting  or  attacking 
the  Christian  religion.  In  fact,  religion  is  nothing  to  us.  . . . We  do 
not  consider  believers  in  Christianity  to  be  odd  or  foolish  persons,  but 
we  take  them  to  be  those  who  are  guided  in  their  morals  by  their  reli- 
gion, and  therefore  we  may  say  that  believers  in  the  Christian  religion 
are  those  who,  spending  time  and  labour,  import  their  morals  from  a 
foreign  country.”  The  writer,  after  asking  the  question,  “ In  associat- 
ing with  foreigners,  in  what  way  can  we  benefit  our  country  ? ” urges  that 
though  the  morality  of  Japan  is  not  blameless,  it  is  rather  superior  than 
inferior  to  that  of  some  western  people,  while  in  “ intellect,”  i.  e.  the  arts 
and  sciences,  Japan  is  immeasurably  behind  them.  He  argues  that 
“ Christian  believers,”  therefore,  are  “ wasting  their  time  ” upon  morals, 
and  concludes  thus:  — ” How  careless  the  Christian  believers  are  in  judg- 
ing the  importance  of  matters  I If  the  time  and  trouble  wasted  on  im- 
proving our  morahty,  which  is  not  deficient  in  us,  were  directed  towards 
gaining  intellectual  knowledge,  which  is  deficient  in  us,  the  benefit 
accruing  to  our  country  would  be  not  a little.  The  present  Japan  is  an 
active  country,  busy  in  gaining  intellectual  acquirements,  and  therefore 
no  time  ought  to  be  allowed  to  be  wasted  on  any  useless  affairs.”  — 
Ilochi  Shimbun. 

1 In  his  Voyages  of  a Naturalist,  Mr.  Darwin,  in  his  severely  truthful 
style,  defends  missionaries  from  malignant  and  vulgar  attacks.  His 
manly  pages  on  the  subject  are  well  worth  reading,  but  I only  quote 
two  or  three  sentences.  “ There  are  many  who  attack,  even  more 
acrimoniously  than  Kotzebue,  the  missionaries,  their  system,  and  the 
effects  produced  by  it.  Such  reasoners  never  compare  the  present 
state  with  only  twenty  years  ago,  nor  even  with  that  of  Europe  at  this 
day,  but  they  compare  it  with  the  high  standard  of  gospel  perfection. 
They  expect  the  missionaries  to  do  that  which  the  Apostles  themselves 
failed  to  do.  Inasmuch  as  the  condition  of  the  people  falls  short  of 
this  high  standard,  blame  is  attached  to  the  missionary,  instead  of 
credit  for  that  which  he  has  effected.”  Mr.  Darwin,  after  mentioning 
many  sinful  habits  of  the  past,  says,  “ They  forget,  or  will  not  remem- 
ber, that  all  these  have  been  abolished,  and  that  dishonesty,  intemper- 
ance, and  licentiousness,  have  been  greatly  reduced  by  the  introduction 
of  Christianity.  But  it  is  useless  to  argue  against  such  reasoners.  I 
believe  that,  disappointed  in  not  finding  the  field  for  licentiousness 


PBOSPECTS  OF  CHRISTIANITT. 


313 


missionary  spirit  is  strong,  and  the  missionaries  give  a 
great  deal  of  positive  and  negative  offence,  some  oi 
which  might,  perhaps,  be  avoided.  They  would  doubt, 
less  readily  confess  faults,  defects,  and  mistakes,  but 
with  all  these,  I believe  them  to  be  a thorouglily  sin- 
cere, conscientious,  upright,  and  zealous  body  of  men 
and  women,  all  working,  as  they  best  know  how,  for 
the  spread  of  Christianity,  and  far  more  anxious  to 
build  up  a pure  Church  than  to  multiply  nominal  con- 
verts. The  agents  of  the  different  sects  abstain  from 
even  the  appearance  of  rivalry,  and  meet  for  friendly 
counsel,  and  instead  of  perpetuating  such  separating 
names  as  Episcopalians,  Baptists,  Congregationalists, 
etc.,  “the  disciples  are  called  CHRISTIANS  FIRST.” 

Without  indulging  in  any  unreasonable  expectations, 
it  cannot  be  doubted  that  the  teaching  of  this  large 
oody  of  persons,  and  the  example  of  the  unquestionable 
purity  of  their  lives,  is  paving  the  way  for  the  recep- 
tion of  the  Christianity  preached  by  Japanese  evangel- 
ists with  the  eloquence  of  conviction,  and  that  every 
true  convert  is  not  only  a convert  but  a propagandist, 
and  a centre  of  the  higher  morality  in  which  lies  the 
great  hope  for  the  future  of  Japan. 

I ardently  long  to  see  this  people  Christianised,  not 
with  the  nominal  Christianity  of  Christendom,  but 
with  the  pure,  manly,  self-sacrificing  Christianity  of 
Christ  and  His  apostles.  Japanese  religious  art  has 
done  much  to  please  the  eye,  yet  the  impression,  on  the 
whole,  is  one  of  profoimd  melancholy.  The  religious 
zeal  which  covered  the  land  with  temples  and  monas- 
teries, terraced  mountain  sides  in  stone,  and  ascended 
them  by  colossal  flights  of  stone  stairs,  has  perished. 

quite  so  open  as  formerly,  they  will  not  give  credit  to  a morality  which 
they  do  not  wish  to  practise,  or  to  a religion  which  they  undervalue,  iJ 
lot  despise- ” — P.  414. 


314 


UNBEATEN  TRACKS  IN  JAPAN. 


Myth  and  Nature  worship  are  reduced  to  rubbing  and 
clapping  the  hands,  and  throwing  rin  upon  temple 
floors.  Buddhism,  degenerate  and  idolatrous,  is  losing 
its  hold  over  men’s  fears,  and  prostrate  Buddhas  and 
decaying  shrines  are  seen  all  over  the  land.  The  chill 
of  an  atheistic  materialism  rests  upon  the  upper  classes ; 
an  advancing  education  bids  religion  and  raoralitj 
itand  aside,  the  clang  of  the  new  material  progress 
drowns  the  still,  small  voice  of  Christ,  the  old  faiths 
are  d3nng,  the  religious  instincts  are  failing,  and  reli- 
gious cravings  scarcely  exist.  Even  at  its  best  and 
highest  there  is  an  intense  mournfulness  about  Japanese 
Buddhism,  pointing,  as  it  does,  to  an  unattainable  per 
fection,  and  holding  up  the  terrors  of  hell  to  those  whc 
fall  short  of  it,  but  recognising  no  availing  “sacrifice 
for  sin,”  no  “merciful  and  faithftil  High  Priest,”  no 
Father  in  heaven  yearning  over  mankind  with  an  infi 
nito  love,  no  higher  destiny  than  practical  annihilation 
being  “without  hope,  and  without  God  in  the  woild.” 

I.  L.  B 


FINE  yVEATUER. 


ufi 


CREMATION. 

Fine  Weather  — Cremation  in  Japan  — The  Governor  of  T6kiy6— ■ 
An  Awkward  Question  — An  Insignificant  Building  — Economy 
in  Funeral  Expenses — Simplicity  of  the  Cremation  Process  — 
The  Last  of  Japan. 

H.B.M.’s  Legation,  Yedo,  December  18. 

I HAVE  spent  the  last  ten  days  here,  in  settled  fine 
weather,  such  as  should  have  begun  two  mouths  ago, 
if  the  climate  had  behaved  as  it  ought.  A cloudless 
sky,  a brilliant  sun,  and  a temperature  rarely  falling 
to  the  freezing-point,  are  very  delightful.  I miss  Lady 
Parkes  and  the  children  sorely,  and  she  is  mourned  by 
every  one,  not  onl}-  because  she  took,  as  no  one  else 
can,  the  social  lead  in  the  English-speaking  community, 
but  because  of  her  thoughtful  kindness  and  genuine 
sympathy  with  sorrow,  no  less  than  for  her  high  sense 
of  truth  and  justice,  and  for  her  judicious  reticence  of 
speech,  nowhere  more  important  than  in  such  a mixed 
society  as  this.  The  time  has  flown  by,  however,  in 
excursions,  shopping,  select  little  dinner  parties,  fare- 
well calls,  and  visits  made  with  Mr.  Chamberlain  to 
the  famous  groves  and  temples  of  Ikegami,  where  the 
Buddhist  bishop  and  priests  entertained  us  in  one  of 
the  guest-rooms,  and  to  Enoshima  and  Kamakura, 
“vulgar”  resorts  which  nothing  can  vulgarise  so  long 
as  Fujisan  towers  above  them, 

I will  mention  but  one  “ sight  ” which  is  so  far  out 
of  the  beaten  track  that  it  was  only  after  prolonged 


516 


UNBEATEN  TRACKS  IN  JAPAN. 


inquiry  that  its  whereabouts  was  ascertained.  Among 
Buddhists,  specially  of  the  Monto  sect,  cremation  was 
largely  practised  till  it  was  forbidden  five  years  ago,  as 
some  suppose  in  deference  to  European  prejudices. 
Three  years  ago,  howe^'er,  the  prohibition  was  with- 
diawn,  and  in  this  short  space  of  time  the  number  of 
bodies  burned  lias  reached  nearly  nine  thousand  annu- 


PCJI8AN,  FROM  A VILLAGE  ON  THE  t6kaId6. 


ally.  Sir  H.  Parkes  applied  for  permission  for  me  to 
visit  the  Kirigaya  ground,  one  of  five,  and  after  a few 
delays  it  was  granted  b}'  the  Governor  of  TokiyS  at 
Mr.  IMori’s  request,  so  yesterday,  attended  by  the  Lega- 
tion linguist,  I presented  myself  at  the  fine  yasliiki  of 
the  Tokiyo  Fu,  and  quite  uiiexpectedh'  was  admitted 
to  an  audience  of  the  Governor.  Mr.  Kusamoto  is  a 


AN  AWKWARD  QUESTION. 


317 


well-bred  gentleman,  and  his  face  expresses  the  energy 
and  ability  which  he  has  given  proof  of  possessing. 
He  wears  his  European  clothes  becomingly,  and  in 
attitude,  as  well  as  manner,  is  easy  and  dignified. 
After  asking  me  a great  deal  about  my  northern  tour 
and  the  Ainos,  he  expressed  a wish  for  candid  criticism, 
but  as  this  m the  East  must  not  be  taken  literally,  I 
merely  ventured  to  say  that  the  roads  lag  behind  the 
progress  made  in  other  directions,  upon  which  he  en- 
tered upon  explanations  which  doubtless  apply  to  the 
past  road-history  of  the  country.  He  spoke  of  crema- 
tion and  its  “necessity  ” in  large  cities,  and  terminated 
the  interview  by  requesting  me  to  dismiss  ni}^  interpre- 
ter and  km-uma.,  as  he  was  going  to  send  me  to  Meguro 
in  his  own  carriage  with  one  of  the  Government  inter- 
preters, adding  very  courteously  that  it  gave  him  pleas- 
ure to  show  this  attention  to  a guest  of  the  British 
Minister,  “ for  whose  character  and  important  services 
to  Japan  he  has  a high  value.” 

An  hour’s  drive,  with  an  extra  amount  of  yelling 
from  the  bettos.,  took  us  to  a suburb  of  little  hills  and 
valleys,  where  red  camellias  and  feathery  bamboo 
against  back-grounds  of  cryptomeria  contrast  with  the 
grey  monotone  of  British  winters,  and,  alighting  at  a 
farm  road  too  rough  for  a carriage,  we  passed  through 
fields  and  hedgerows  to  an  erection  which  looks  too 
insignificant  for  such  solemn  use.  Don’t  expect  any 
ghastly  details.  A longish  building  of  “wattle  and 
dab,’*  much  like  the  northern  farmhoxises,  a high  roof, 
and  chimneys  resembling  those  of  the  “oast  houses” 
in  Kent,  combine  with  the  rural  surroundings  to  sug 
gest  “ farm  buildings  ” rather  than  the  “ funeral  pyre,” 
and  all  that  is  horrible  is  left  to  the  imagination. 

The  end  nearest  the  road  is  a little  temple,  much 
crowded  with  images,  and  ,«inall,  red,  earthenware  urns 


318 


UNBEATEN  TRACKS  IN  JAPAN. 


and  tongs  for  sale  to  the  relatives  of  deceased  persons, 
and  beyond  this  are  four  rooms  with  earthen  floors  and 
mud  walls ; nothing  noticeable  about  them  except  the 
height  of  the  peaked  roof  and  the  dark  colour  of 
the  plaster.  In  the  middle  of  the  largest  are  several 
pairs  of  granite  supports  at  equal  distances  from  each 
other,  and  in  the  smallest  there  is  a solitary  pair.  This 
was  literally  all  that  was  to  be  seen.  In  the  large 
room  several  bodies  are  burned  at  one  time,  and  the 
charge  is  only  one  yen,  about  3s.  8d.,  solitary  cremation 
costing  five  yen.  Faggots  are  used,  and  Is.  worth  ordi- 
narily suffices  to  reduce  a human  form  to  ashes.  After 
the  funeral  service  in  the  house,  the  bodj'  is  brought  to 
the  cremation  ground,  and  is  left  in  charge  of  the  at- 
tendant, a melancholy,  smoked-looking  man,  as  well  he 
may  be.  The  richer  people  sometimes  pay  priests  to 
be  present  during  the  burning,  but  tliis  is  not  usual. 
There  were  five  “ quick-tubs  ” of  pine  hooped  with 
bamboo  in  the  larger  room,  containing  the  remains  of 
coolies,  and  a few  oblong  pine  chests  in  the  small  rooms 
containing  those  of  middle-class  people.  At  8 P.M., 
each  “ coffin  ” is  placed  on  the  stone  trestles,  the  fag- 
gots are  lighted  underneath,  the  fires  are  replenished 
tluring  the  night,  and  by  6 a.m.  that  which  was  a 
human  being  is  a small  heap  of  ashes,  which  is  placed 
in  an  urn  by  the  relatives  and  is  honourably  interred. 
In  some  cases  the  priests  accompany  the  relations  on 
this  last  mournful  errand.  Thirteen  bodies  were  burned 
the  idght  before  my  visit,  but  there  was  not  the  slight- 
est odour  in  or  about  the  building,  and  the  interpreter 
told  me  that,  owing  to  the  height  of  the  clnmneys,  the 
people  of  the  neighbourhood  never  experience  the  least 
annoyance,  even  while  the  process  is  going  on.  The 
simplicity  of  the  arrangement  is  verj-  remarkable,  and 
there  can  be  no  reasonable  doubt  that  it  serves  the 


THE  LAST  OF  JAPAN. 


319 


purpose  of  the  innocuous  and  complete  destruction  of 
the  corpse  as  well  as  any  complicated  apparatus  (if  not 
better),  while  its  cheapness  places  it  within  the  reach 
of  the  class  which  is  most  heavily  burdened  by  ordi- 
nary funeral  expenses.^  This  morning  the  Governor 
sc  it  his  secretary  to  present  me  with  a translation  of 
an  interesting  account  of  the  practice  of  cremation  and 
its  introduction  into  Japan. 

jS.jS.  “ Volga, Christmas  Eve,  1878.  — The  snowy 
dome  of  Fujisan  reddening  in  the  sunrise  rose  above 
the  violet  woodlands  of  Mississippi  Bay  as  we  steamed 
out  of  Yokahama  Harbour  on  the  19th,  and  three  days 
later  I saw  the  last  of  Japan  — a rugged  coast,  lashed 
by  a wintry  sea.  1.  L.  B. 

* The  following  very  inaccurate  but  entertaining  account  of  this  ex- 
pedition was  given  by  the  Yomi-uri-Shinibun,  a daily  newspaper  with 
the  largest,  though  not  the  most  aristocratic  circulation  in  Tokiyo,  being 
taken  in  by  the  servants  and  tradespeople.  It  is  a literal  translation 
made  by  Mr.  Chamberlain.  “ The  person  mentioned  in  our  yesterday’s 
issue  as  ‘ an  English  subject  of  the  name  of  Bird  ’ is  a lady  from  Scot- 
land, a part  of  England.  This  lady  spends  her  time  in  travelling,  leav- 
ing this  year  the  two  American  continents  for  a passing  visit  to  the 
Sandwich  Islands,  and  landing  in  Japan  early  in  the  month  of  May. 
She  has  toured  all  over  the  country,  and  even  made  a five  months’ 
stay  in  the  Hokkaido,  investigating  the  local  customs  and  productions. 
Her  inspection  yesterday  of  the  cremation  ground  at  Kirigaya  is 
believed  to  have  been  prompted  by  a knowledge  of  the  advantages  of 
this  method  of  disposing  of  the  dead,  and  a desire  to  introduce  the 
same  into  England  (!)  On  account  of  this  lady’s  being  so  learned  as  to 
have  published  a quantity  of  books.  His  Excellency  the  Governor  was 
pleased  to  see  her  yesterday,  and  to  show  her  great  ci\ality,  sending 
her  to  Kirigaya  in  his  own  carriage,  a mark  of  attention  which  is  said 
to  have  pleased  the  lady  much  (I)  ” 


320 


UNBEATEN  TRACKS  IN  JAPAN. 


JAPANESE  PUBLIC  AFFAIRSJ 

The  new  era  dates  from  1868.  Up  to  the  twelfth  cen- 
tury Japan  was  ruled  by  the  Mikado,  who  was  believed 
to  be  directly  descended  from  the  gods  who  created  the 
country.  This  ruler  by  “ divine  right,”  exercised  his 
absolute  power  tlirough  the  Kuge  or  court  nobles, 
mostly  connectious  of  his  own,  who  mouopolised  the 
chief  offices,  constituted  the  membership  of  the  two 
great  councils  which  arranged  religious  and  secular 
affairs,  and  filled  the  principal  posts  in  the  eight  execu 
five  departments  of  the  empire. 

After  the  twelfth  century,  when  the  feudal  system 
rose,  the  governing  power  gradually  passed  out  of  the 
hands  of  the  IMikado  and  his  nobles  into  those  of  the 
great  feudal  families,  and  in  1603  became  concentrated 
in  lyeyasu,  the  head  of  the  Tokugawa  dynasty,  succes- 
sive members  of  which  exercised  it  for  two  centuries 
and  a half.  All  this  time  a shadowy  JMik.ado  nominally 
reigned  in  the  old  palace  in  KiyOto,  but  power  and 
splendour  had  passed  to  his  chief  vassal,  who,  under  the 
title  of  ShOgim,  actually  ruled  from  the  Castle  of  Yedo, 

i The  authorities  for  the  statements  in  this  sketch  are  — Mr.  Moun- 
80J  s Satsnma  Rebellion;  figures  and  facts  supplied  hy  the  coiuiiesy  of 
the  Statistical  Department  of  the  Japanese  Government ; tvo  lectures 
on  “The  Kational  Debt  of  Japan,”  by  Mr.  Mayet,  Counsellor  to  the 
Japanese  Finance  Dejartment ; the  Finance  Estimates  for  the  year 
ending  June  30,  ISSO  , and  the  Re]torts  presented  by  the  heads  of  the 
Mint,  Post  Office,  Telegraph,  and  Education  Departments,  to  Sanjo 
Saneyoshi,  the  Prime  Minister. 


FEUDAL  PRINCES. 


321 


and  was  usually  strong  enough  to  impose  his  will  on  his 
sovereign.  It  was  this  system  of  dual  government 
which  gave  rise  to  the  fiction  of  “ spiritual  ” and  “ tern 
poral  ” emperors. 

The  daimiyo  were  feudal  princes,  who,  having  origi- 
nally conquered  their  domains  by  the  sword,  exercised 
independent  jurisdiction  within  their  limits,  but  were 
hound  to  render  certain  acts  of  homage  to  the  ShSgun, 
whose  government  was  composed  of  those  among  them 
on  whose  loyalty  he  could  rely.  The  samurai.,  their 
“ two-sworded  ” retainers,  who  had  won  their  provinces 
for  them,  and  had  been  rewarded  by  grants  of  land, 
were  not  onl}^  the  fighting  men  of  the  Empire,  but  its 
most  public-spirited  and  best-educated  class. 

Of  these  political  orders  the  huge.,  who  were  poor, 
but  stni  retained  their  old  prestige.,  nximbered  about 
150  families ; the  daimiyd,  with  their  quasi-independent 
position,  268;  and  the  samurai,  the  “backbone  of  the 
nation,”  about  400,000  households.  Below  these  there 
was  the  heimin,  a vast,  unrecognised  mass  of  men  with- 
out position,  farmers,  artisans,  merchants,  and  peasants, 
separated  by  laws  forbidding  intermarriage  from  the 
pariah  castes  of  the  eta,  who  handled  raw  hides  and 
other  contaminating  things ; and  the  liinin,  “ not  hu- 
mans,” paupers,  allowed  to  squat  on  waste  lands,  who 
lived  by  beggary,  carried  bodies  from  the  execution 
grounds,  and  performed  other  degraded  offices,  this 
mass,  without  political  privileges,  numbering  32,000,- 
000.  The  ShOgun  was  the  actual  depository  of  power, 
but,  above  all  was  the  secluded  Mikado,  theoretically 
the  source  of  all  authority,  and  “a  name  to  conjure 
with.” 

The  reasons  for  the  Revolution  must  be  sought  for 
elsewhere,  but  it  must  not  be  overlooked  that  contact 
with  western  power  and  civilisation,  and  the  diffusion 


322 


UNBEAIEN  TRACKS  IN  JAPAN. 


of  western  ideas  through  the  medium  of  translated  lit- 
erature, were  among  its  predisposing  causes ; that  it 
was  a few  leading  men  in  a few  of  the  clans,  together 
with  a very  few  daimiyo  who  iiad  not  succumbed  to  the 
luxury  and  effeminacy  of  their  class,  who  organised  and 
successfully  carried  out  the  dethronement  of  the  Sho- 
gun., and  the  restoration  of  the  Mikado ; and  that  it  is 
the  leading  men  of  the  clans,  and  not  men  of  the  old 
aristocracy,  who  have  held  the  reins  of  power  ever 
since. 

In  1868  Keiki,  the  last  Shogun,  retired  into  private 
life,  and  in  1869  nearly  the  whole  of  the  daimiyo  peti- 
tioned to  be  allowed  to  yield  up  their  fiefs  and  quasi- 
sovereign rights  to  the  Mikado,  prajdng  him  to  take 
absolute  power,  and  to  establish  the  internal  relations 
of  the  country  upon  such  a footing  “ that  the  Emphe 
will  be  able  to  take  its  place  side  by  side  "with  the  other 
countries  of  the  world.”  This  proposal  was  accepted, 
a tenth  of  their  former  revenues  was  allotted  to  them ; 
a provision  was  made  for  their  retainers,  and  bj'  1871 
when  the  clans  were  finally  abolished,  the  feudal  system 
of  Japan,  with  its  splendour  and  oppressiveness,  had 
ceased  to  exist.  There  has  been  no  very  important 
movement  against  the  new  Government  except  the  Sat- 
suma  Rebellion  in  1877,  which  cost  Japan  13,000  killed, 
and  21,000  wounded  men,  and  £8,400,000  in  money, 
besides  enormous  losses  arising  from  the  destruction  cl 
property  and  the  depression  of  trade. 

Since  1868  Japan,  casting  awaj'  her  traditions  of  se- 
clusion, and  detaching  herself  from  the  fellowship  of 
Oriental  nations,  has  astonished  the  world  by  the  rapid- 
ity of  her  progress,  the  skQl  with  wliich  she  has  selected 
and  appropriated  many  of  the  most  valuable  results  of 
western  civilisation,  the  energy  with  which  she  has  re- 
constructed herself,  and  the  governing  capacity  whicb 


OBSTACLES  TO  ADVANCEMENT. 


323 


has  been  shown  by  men  untrained  in  statecraft.  In. 
the  glitter  and  ^clat  of  this  unique  movement  we  must 
not  forget  that  the  Japanese  throne  is  still  founded  on 
a religious  fiction,  that  the  Government  is  still  “des- 
potij  and  idolatrous,”  that  the  peasantry  are  ignorant 
and  enslaved  by  superstition ; that  taxation  presses 
heavily  on  the  cultivator ; that  money  raised  with  diffi- 
culty is  spent  ofttimes  on  objects  non-essential  to  the 
progress,  and  alien  to  the  genius,  of  the  nation ; that 
the  official  class  still  suffers  from  the  taint  which  per- 
vades Asiatic  officialdom ; that  the  educational  system 
is  not  only  incomplete,  but  suffers  from  radical  defects ; 
that  the  reform  of  the  legal  system  is  only  in  its  in- 
fancy ; that  the  means  of  internal  communication  are 
infamous ; that  the  tone  of  morality  is  universally  low ; 
that  the  nation  is  a heathen  nation,  steeped  in  heathen 
ideas  and  practices;  and  that  the  work  of  making 
Japan  a really  great  empire  is  only  in  its  beginning. 
For  what  she  has  already  done  she  claims  from  western 
nations  hearty  sympathy  and  cordial  co-operation,  free- 
dom to  consolidate  and  originate  internal  reforms  unem- 
barrassed by  pressure  applied  by  stronger  powers  for 
selfish  purposes,  and  to  be  aided  by  friendly  criticism 
rather  than  retarded  by  indiscriminate  praise. 

The  pages  which  follow  bring  together  very  briefly 
some  of  the  most  outstanding  facts  connected  with  the 
present  position  of  Japan,  and  refer  the  thoughtful 
reader  to  the  carefully  prepared  pages  from  which  they 
are  taken. 

In  1869  the  present  Mikado,  in  the  presence  of  the 
grandees  of  the  Empire,  swore  solemnly  “ that  a delib- 
erative assembly  should  be  formed;  that  all  measures 
should  be  decided  by  public  opinion ; that  the  uncivil- 
ised customs  of  former  times  should  be  broken  through  ; 
that  the  impartiality  and  justice  displaj'ed  in  the  work 


824 


UNBEATEN  TRACKS  IN  JAPAN. 


mgs  of  nature  should  be  adopted  as  the  basis  of  aclion, 
and  that  intellect  and  learning  should  be  sought  for 
throughout  the  world  in  order  to  establish  the  founda- 
tions of  the  Empire.”  Though  this  oath  of  progress 
was  but  the  word  of  a boy  brought  up  in  the  seclusion 
of  Kiyoto,  it  represented  the  conviction  and  settled  pur- 
pose of  the  men  who  led  the  Revolution,  and  have 
piloted  the  Empire  through  the  perils  of  the  last  eleven 
years.  It  is  now  1880,  and  the  first  instalment  of  rep- 
resentative institutions,  though  in  their  most  elementary 
form,  was  granted  last  year. 

The  composition  of  the  Government  is  subject  to 
change,  but  in  its  main  features  is  as  follows:  — The 
Mikado  is  an  absolute  sovereign.  He  administers  affairs 
through  a Supreme  Council,  which  consists  of  the  Prime 
Minister,  the  Vice-Prune  Minister,  and  the  heads  of  the 
great  Departments  of  State,  and  meets  on  fixed  days  in 
the  Mikado’s  presence.  This  is  the  actual  Government. 
Below  tills  is  a Legislative  Council,  composed  of  emi- 
nent men,  and  presided  over  by  an  Imperial  prince. 
It  elaborates  such  new  laws,  and  reforms  in  old  ones,  as 
are  determined  on  by  the  Supreme  Council,  but  cannot 
initiate  any  legislative  measures  without  its  consent. 
There  is  also  an  “ assembly  of  local  officials,”  consisting 
of  one  superior  officer  from  each  of  the  three  Fu  (the 
cities  of  T8kiy6,  Kij^oto,  and  Osaka)  and  the  thirty- 
five  Ken  (administrative  departments)  ; but  it  meets 
but  rarely,  and  is  a strictly  consultative  body,  its  func- 
tions being  to  advise  on  matters  concerning  taxation. 

The  chief  Departments  of  State  are  Foreign  Affairs. 
Finance  (which  embraces  the  Mint,  Tax,  Paper  Money, 
Statistical,  Audit,  Loan,  Record,  and  Paymaster’s  De- 
partments, and  the  State  Printing-office),  War,  IMarine, 
Education,  Public  Works,  Justice,  Colonisation,  the 
Imperial  household,  and  the  Interior,  the  most  impor 


ELECTIONS. 


325 


tant  of  all  (into  which  the  Department  of  Religion  was 
merged  not  long  ago),  which  embraces  everything  not 
covered  by  the  other  Departments,  and  which  has  a 
capacity  for  centralisation  which  could  scarcely  be 
exceeded. 

A Government  so  constituted  is  strictly  a despotism 
[ulhig  through  a bureaucracy,  but  a step  towards  consti- 
tutionalism has  been  taken  lately  by  the  calling  together 
of  provincial  parliaments.  All  males  above  20,  who 
pay  land-tax  amounting  to  XI  annually,  are  entitled  to 
vote,  persons  who  have  been  sentenced  to  penal  servi- 
tude for  one  year  for  offences  not  commutable  by  fine, 
and  bankrupts  who  have  not  paid  their  liabilities  in  full, 
alone  excepted.  Voting  is  by  ballot.  The  property 
qualification  for  members  consists  in  the  annual  pay- 
ment of  X2  of  land-tax;  but  persons  holding  Govern- 
ment or  religious  appointments  are  ineligible.  The 
functions  of  these  “ primary  assemblies  ” are  at  present 
limited  to  the  discussion  and  arrangement  of  the 
expenditure  to  be  met  out  of  the  local  taxes,  apd  the 
method  of  levying  such  taxes ; but  a possible  enlarge- 
ment is  provided  for  in  the  edict  by  which  they  were 
instituted.  These  novel  elections  passed  off  quietly, 
and  the  newly  constituted  bodies,  which  met  in  March 
1879,  confined  themselves  to  the  business  before  them, 
and  to  settling  their  forms  of  procedure.  The  impor- 
tance of  this  initial  step  in  a constitutional  direction 
on  the  part  of  an  Asiatic  despotism  has  not  been  sufli- 
ciently  recognised  by  foreigners. 

For  administrative  purposes  Japan  is  divided  into 
chree  Fu  and  thirty-five  Ken.,  each  with  a Governor  or 
Prefect,  and  a staff  of  officials  responsible  to  the  Minis- 
try' of  the  Interior,  the  Island  of  Yezo,  for  some  occult 
reason,  being  under  the  Colonisation  Department. 

Official  salaries,  judged  by  western  notions,  are  not 


326 


UNBEATEN  TRACKS  IN  JAPAN. 


liigh.  The  “Premier,”  Sanjo,  receives  only  £1920 
annuaily,  and  the  chief  and  vice-ministers  of  the  differ- 
ent departments  <£1440  and  £960  respectively. 

Protected  by  her  insular  position,  Japan  ought  not 
to  have  any  enemies,  and  a large  armed  force,  besides 
being  an  expense  and  a source  of  internal  danger,  is  a 
standing  temptation  to  her  to  make  aggressions  upon 
her  weaker  neighbors.  On  the  abolition  of  the  samurai 
or  military  class,  she  created  a standing  army,  raised  by 
conscription,  and  equipped,  drilled,  and  disciplined  on 
European  models,  by  a commission  of  French  officers. 
It  consists  of  35,560  men  in  time  of  peace,  and  50,230 
when  on  a war  footing,  besides  a reserve  of  20,000,  not 
yet  completely  organised.  The  war  estimates  for  1880 
are  £1,438,020. 

The  navy  consists  of  thirteen  ships  on  active  ser\dce, 
ironclad,  ironbelted,  composite,  and  wooden,  all  steam- 
ers, carrying  2250  men  and  87  guns,  besides  10  train- 
ing-ships and  *4  yachts,  which,  with  the  addition  of  897 
unattached  men  and  officers,  brings  up  its  total  strength 
to  27  vessels,  4242  men,  and  149  guns.  The  naval  drill 
and  discipline  are  English.  The  principal  ua\y  yard 
is  at  Yokosuka,  near  Yokohama.  The  naval  estimates 
for  1880  are  £527,994. 

The  police  force,  a very  important  body,  with  very 
multifarious  and  responsible  duties,  is  composed  of 
23,334  men,  5672  of  whom  are  quartered  in  Tokiyo. 
The  pay  of  the  chief  commissioner  is  £60  per  month, 
inspectors  receive  from  £12  to  £3,  and  constables  from 
£2  ; 10s.  to  16s.  according  to  their  grade.  The  police 
estimates  for  1880  are  £497,000.  Taken  altogether, 
this  force,  which  is  composed  mainly  of  men  of  the 
samurai  class,  is  well-educated  and  efficient,  performs  its 
duties  with  far  less  of  harassment  to  the  people  than 
might  be  expected  from  Asiatic  officials,  and  may  turn 
out  to  be  more  reliable  than  the  armv. 


POSTAL  SERVICE. 


327 


One  of  the  earliest  undertakings  of  the  new  Govern- 
ment was  the  establishment  of  a mail  route  between 
Tokiyb  and  Osaka  in  1871,  the  signal  for  the  disappear- 
ance of  the  unclothed  runner  with  the  letters  in  the 
cleft  of  a stick,  who  figures  so  frequently  in  accounts  of 
Japan.  So  rapid  was  postal  progress  that  by  the  date 
of  the  last  report  34,545  miles  of  mail  routes  had  been 
opened,  the  mileage  is  annually  increasing,  and  the  ser- 
vice both  by  sea  and  land  is  so  admirably  conducted  as 
to  rival  in  some  degree  our  own,  on  which  it  is  modelled. 
The  foreign  mail  service  is  carefully  managed,  and  the 
Japanese  post  office,  after  a thorough  trial,  has  proved 
itself  so  efficient  that  the  foreign  postal  agencies  are 
being  abolished  one  after  the  other,  the  last  remaining 
being  the  French,  which  will  shortly  close. 

With  stamps  of  all  denominations,  post-cards,  stamped 
envelopes  and  newspaper  wrappers,  facilities  for  regis- 
tering letters,  money  order  offices,  post-office  savings 
banks,  a G.  P.  O.  and  branches,  receiving  agencies, 
street  and  wayside  letter-boxes,  postal  deliveries,  and  a 
‘ dead  letter  ” office,  the  foreigner  need  be  at  no  loss 
with  regard  to  his  correspondence,  and  if  he  can  read 
the  Chinese  character,  he  may  instruct  himself  by  maps 
of  mail  routes,  a postal  guide  giving  details  of  post-office 
business,  a postal  history  of  Japan,  and  a general  post- 
office  directory  of  the  Empire,  not  yet  completed ! 

The  last  Report  given  to  the  public  by  Mr  Maye- 
shima,  the  Postmaster-General,  is  an  ably  prepared  and 
comprehensive  document,  and  gives  a most  satisfactory 
account  of  increasing  business  and  diminishing  ex- 
penses, and  in  the  estimates  for  1880  it  is  assumed  (and 
not  unreasonably)  that  the  revenue  will  cover  the  expen- 
diture. In  the  year  ending  with  June  1878,  the  number 
of  letters,  newspapers,  etc.,  sent  tluough  the  post  was 
47,192,286,  aji  increase  over  the  preceding  year  of  23 


62S 


UNBEATEN  TRACKS  IN  JAPAN. 


per  ceut,  and  over  1876  of  56  per  cent,  and  of  this  large 
number  only  62  were  stolen,  and  only  91  were  “ miss- 
ing ” ! Of  the  aggregate  number  nearly  25  millions 
were  letters,  763,000  were  registered  letters,  10  millions 
were  post-cards,  and  millions  were  newspapers.  The 
number  of  money  orders  issued  was  204,367,  represent- 
ing £558,072,  a decrease  of  21  per  cent  on  the  previous 
year,  but  the  post-office  savings  banks,  which  num- 
ber 292,  show  an  increase  of  131,  an  increase  in  the 
number  of  deposits  of  83  per  cent,  in  the  amount  de- 
posited of  270  per  cent,  and  in  depositors  of  5000,  the 
average  amount  deposited  by  each  depositor  being  about 
£3 : 10s.  The  Post-Office  employs  7000  persons,  of 
which  number  thirteen  are  foreigners. 

The  telegraphic  system  of  Japan  merits  high  en- 
comiums for  its  trustworthiness  and  general  efficiency. 
The  first  short  line  was  erected  in  1869  : telegraph  prog- 
ress has  been  going  on  since  at  the  rate  of  about  600 
miles  a year ; a thousand  miles  were  in  course  of  con- 
struction when  the  new  buildings  in  TokiyO  were  opened 
in  1878,  and  eight  thousand  miles  are  now  in  operation. 
Bell’s  Telephones  have  been  imported,  and  are  used 
successfully  in  connection  with  the  Public  Works’ 
Department.  The  number  of  persons  employed  in  the 
Telegraph  service  is  1410.  The  tariff  for  European 
messages  is  considerably  higher  than  for  Japanese.  Dur- 
ing the  year  ending  with  June  1878, 1,045,442  messages 
were  transmitted,  only  23,000  of  which  were  foreign  an 
increase  of  364,503  messages  in  one  year.  The  native 
newspapers  are  growing  into  the  habit  of  presenting 
their  readers  with  telegraphic  news  items,  and  the  Jap- 
anese have  taken  as  readily  to  the  telegraph  as  to  other 
innovations. 

Railroad  development  has  been  very  slow.  Only  76i 
miles  are  open,  and  though  500  are  projected,  it  is  not 


THE  MERCANTILE  MARINE.  32fl 

likel}'  that  much  progress  will  be  made  for  some  years 
to  come.  The  cost  of  construction  cannot  be  ascer- 
tained, as  Japanese  officials  arrange  all  contracts  and 
payments  without  furnishing  information  to  the  foreign 
engineers.  The  lines  are  substantially  built,  with  earth- 
works for  a double  way,  and  neat  stations  on  tlie  Eng- 
lish model.  One  source  of  difficulty  and  expense,  which 
helps  to  retard  railroad  progress,  is  that  the  beds  of  the 
rivers,  by  repeated  embankments,  have  mostly  been 
raised  higher  than  the  land  through  or  over  which  they 
pass,  and  whether  bridging  or  tunnelling  be  the  least 
costly  process,  is  a problem.  I have  already  pointed 
out  very  frequently  that  Japan  is  miserably  furnished 
with  the  means  of  internal  communication,  and  that 
good  roads  are  among  her  most  urgent  needs. 

The  Japanese  mercantile  marine  is  constantly  increas- 
ing in  importance,  and  the  3Iitsu  Bishi  steamers,  as  to 
management,  cuisine,  and  general  comfort,  bear  compari- 
son with  some  of  our  own  leading  lines.  This  company 
has  now  nearly  all  the  steam  coasting  traffic  of  Japan  in 
its  hands,  and  an  efficient  mail  service  to  Shanghai  and 
Hong  Kong.  The  total  Japanese  steam  tonnage  is 
36,543  tons,  but,  in  addition,  there  are  a number  of  lake 
and  river  steamers,  of  which  no  statistics  exist.  The 
number  of  steamers  above  100  tons  is  57. 

The  number  of  vessels  of  foreign  rig  and  build  is  in- 
creasing. There  are  now  76  of  the  latter  class  above 
100  tons,  and  the  total  tonnage  is  27,319  tons.  The 
pujturesque  but  comparati  ely  unseaworthy  junk  is 
likely  to  be  slowly  displaced  by  the  handier  schooner  of 
foreign  construction.  In  1872  the  number  of  junks 
above  6 tons  was  17,258,  but,  though  junk  statistics  have 
not  been  taken  since,  the  number  is  now  estimated  at 
15,000  only.  Some  of  these  are  as  much  as  190  tons, 
but,  taking  the  average  at  31,  the  total  junk  navy  is 


830 


UNBEATEN  TRACKS  IN  JAPAN. 


468,750  tons.  The  fishing  fieet  is  enormous,  and  a large 
portion  of  the  very  large  coast  population  is  engaged  in 
tliis  industry.  The  boats  under  0 ton  and  over  18  feet 
long  nmnber  33,047,  and  the  boats  under  18  feet 
399,399. 

The  mercantile  marine  regulations  are  tolerably  strin- 
gent.  Marine  Schools  have  been  formed  for  giving  theo- 
retical and  practical  instruction  in  navigation  and  engi- 
neering, and  all  masters,  officers,  and  engineers  of  native 
owned  vessels,  must  pass  examinations  and  possess  cer- 
tificates, in  order  to  obtain  or  retain  nautical  positions. 
That  the  exammations  are  not  a matter  of  form  may  be 
inferred  from  the  fact  that  at  the  last,  out  of  219  candi- 
dates, 69,  including  9 foreigners,  failed  to  “ pass ! ” 
The  coasts  are  now  fairly  well  lighted,  and  most  of  the 
channels,  shoals,  and  sunken  rocks,  have  been  surveyed 
and  buoyed. 

Japan  has  two  Mints,  a paper  money  mint  at  Tckiyo, 
and  a metallic  mint  at  Osaka ; the  latter,  one  of  the 
largest  and  most  complete  in  the  world.  It,  like  the 
other  public  works  of  the  new  era,  was  organised  by 
foreigners,  but,  of  the  foreign  staff,  only  two  remain,  the 
chemist  and  assayer,  and  the  engineer,  with  a Japanese 
staff  of  602  persons,  including  a doctor.  The  total  value 
of  the  coinage  struck  fi-om  1870  to  the  date  of  the  last 
report  exceeds  .£17,000,000. 

The  gold  coinage  is  mainly  confined  to  5 yen  pieces, 
which  are  nearly  equal  to  a sovereign.  The  silver  coins 
are  the  yen,  the  trade  dollar,  and  50,  20,  10,  and  5 sen 
pieces.  In  the  year  ending  30th  June  1879,  92,073 
gold  coins  were  struck;  of  silver  yen,  1,879,354;  of  the 
trade  dollar,  32,717;  of  10  sen,  201,509;  and  of  the 
5 sen,  2,894,201.  The  copper  coins  are  2 sen,  1 seyi,  \ 
ten,  and  1 rin,  and  of  these  83  millions  were  struck. 
There  was,  however,  a deficiency  in  “ small  change,”  be- 


THE  “ PBESS.’ 


331 


cause  of  the  quantities  of  small  silver  coin  sent  by 
Government  to  China  and  the  Straits  Settlements,  where 
it  was  sold  at  a considerable  discount.  The  value  of  the 
coinage  for  the  year  was  £686,911,  and  the  total  value 
struck  at  the  Osaka  mint  since  its  commencement 
exceeds  <£17,000,000  sterling.  The  Government  paper 
money  in  circulation,  which  consists  of  notes  from  10  sen 
upwards,  amounts  to  .£22,675,598;  but  in  addition, 
£7,000,000  of  notes  have  been  issued  by  the  Japanese 
banks,  not  on  the  security  of  a certain  quantity  of  coin, 
but  on  that  of  Government  paper.  The  depreciation  of 
this  Government  paper  is  a very  disquieting  symptom  — 
the  discount  occasionally  reaching  52  per  cent.  People 
naturally  infer  that  Government  credit  is  bad,  the  papei' 
issues  being  based  on  insufficient  metallic  reserves. 
During  my  journeys  in  Japan  1 never  saw  a gold  coin  in 
circulation ; small  silver  coins  were  difficult  to  obtain 
even  in  Yokohama,  and  from  NikkO  northwards,  except 
at  Niigata,  I never  saw  any  silver,  or  a single  copper 
coin  of  the  new  coinage,  the  circulating  media  being 
paper,  nnder  a yen  in  value  ; the  large,  oval  tempo^  and 
the  old  rin  with  a hole  in  the  middle,  my  own  specimens 
of  the  nev/  silver  and  copper  coinage  being  regarded  as 
curiosities,  marked  preference  being  shown,  as  in  Scot 
land,  for  “notes,”  no  matter  how  old  or  soiled. 

The  newspaper  press,  which  consists  mainly  of 
“ dailies  ” and  “ weeklies  ” is  one  of  the  singular  features 
of  the  new  era.  The  first  newspaper  was  started  in  1871, 
they  numbered  211  in  the  middle  of  1879,  their  number 
is  always  on  the  increase,  and  they  have  an  aggregate 
circulation  of  nearly  29  million  copies.  Eleveii  millions 
and  a quarter  passed  through  the  Post  Office  in  the  year 
ending  30th  June  1879,  an  increase  of  over  100  per 
cent  on  the  number  carried  in  1876.  They  circulate 
among  all  classes,  and  I have  reason  to  think  that 


332 


UNBEATEN  TRACKS  IN  JAPAN. 


a desire  to  read  them  is  a strong  stimulant  to  the  de- 
sire for  education  in  the  country  districts.  The  staple 
of  many  of  them  is  sensational  news  items,  current 
rumours,  and  novelettes,  wMch  are  said  to  minister  to 
depraved  tastes,  and  to  corrupt  the  morals  of  the  young. 
The  better  class  discuss  finance,  commerce,  morals, 
Christianity,  the  position  of  women,  the  W estern  move 
meut,  innovations,  education,  law  reform,  and  all  subjects 
which  affect  Japan,  but  politics  are  handled  with  ex- 
treme caution,  for  the  press  is  shackled  by  rigid  press 
laws,  enforced  by  heavy  penalties,  and  these  were  ren- 
dered more  stringent  in  1878.  Theii’  tone  can  be  judged 
of  by  their  leading  articles,  of  which  translations  appear 
weekly  in  the  Japan  Mail.  Ignorance  of  the  first  prin- 
ciples of  political  economy,  as  we  imderstand  them,  is 
usually  shown,  but  many  subjects  are  treated  with 
breadth  and  ability,  and  the  articles  are  pervaded  by 
remarkable  earnestness  and  an  intense  though  narrow 
patriotism. 

The  administration  of  law  is  undergoing  extensive 
reform  and  alteration,  and  as  its  present  condition  can 
only  be  regarded  as  tentative,  the  remarks  which  follow 
are  confined  to  the  criminal  code. 

Under  the  old  regime  Japanese  law  was  based  upon 
the  Chinese  codes  known  as  those  of  the  Ming  and 
Tsing  dynasties,  and  the  criminal  code  promulgated  in 
1871  and  altered  and  supplemented  in  1873,  was  mainly 
an  adaptation  of  these  to  the  needs  of  modern  Japan. 
These  codes,  with  some  additions  notified  in  1877,  at 
present  constitute  the  whole  penal  law  of  the  country, 
only  press  offences  and  some  minor  infringements  of 
administrative  and  police  regulations  being  excluded 
from  its  operation,  but  military  and  naval  offenders  are 
not  amenable  to  the  jurisdiction  of  the  ordinary  courts. 
The  excessive  penalties  of  the  Clunese  codes  have  been 


THE  PENAL  CODE. 


333 


modified  in  deference  to  modern  humanitarian  teach- 
ings, and  Japanese  law  in  practice  rarely  errs  on  the 
side  of  undue  severity. 

Tliere  are  twenty  degrees  of  punishment,  ten  oi 
which  involve  from  ten  to  one  hundred  days’  imprison- 
ment, and  the  other  ten,  penal  servitude  from  one  year 
up  to  captivity  for  life.  In  some  cases  imprisonment, 
where  it  is  unaccompanied  with  “ hard  labour,”  may  be 
undergone  in  the  offender’s  own  house,  his  relations 
being  responsible  for  his  safe  custody,  and  punishment 
undergoes  a few  other  modifications  varying  with  the 
rank  of  the  criminal.  Persons  who,  before  discovery, 
make  a full  confession  of  other  crimes  than  those 
against  the  person  are  exempted  from  penalties. 

The  system  of  criminal  procedure  consists  of  a series 
of  private  examinations  of  the  accused  person  and  wit- 
nesses. The  accused  is  not  assisted  by  experts  or 
friends,  he  cannot  interrogate  the  witnesses,  nor  can  he 
compel  those  to  appear  who  could  give  evidence  in  his 
favour.  The  prosecutor,  who  is  always  an  official,  sits 
on  the  bench  with  the  judges,  and  trial  is  merely  an  in- 
vestigation. Torture,  though  not  formally  abolished, 
is,  it  is  believed,  rarely  practised,  and  the  use  of  an  “ In- 
vestigation Whip  ” is  left  to  the  discretion  of  the  judges, 
who,  if  they  resort  to  it  at  all,  do  so  only  when  they 
are  satisfied  of  the  guilt  of  an  accused  person  who  pro- 
tests his  innocence. 

The  law,  severe  to  female  criminals  in  some  respects^ 
is  tender  in  others,  and  allows  them  to  expiate  grave 
offences,  except  that  of  “violation  of  filial  duty,”  by 
fines,  and  shows  a peculiar  lenity  to  the  very  young  and 
very  old,  persons  between  the  ages  of  10  and  15,  and 
between  70  and  80,  being  allowed  to  commute  any  pun- 
ishment, except  that  of  death,  by  the  payment  of  a 
fine,  while  those  between  7 and  10  and  between  80  and 


334 


UNBEATEN  TRACKS  IN  JAPAN. 


90  can  only  be  punished  for  theft  and  wounding,  and 
those  under  7 and  over  90  are  ineligible  for  puidsh- 
ment  at  all ! 

Wilful  murder,  under  which  head  infanticide  is 
classed,  is  punished  with  death,  and  assaults  are  severe- 
ly dealt  with,  a mere  blow  with  the  hand  being  visited 
with  20  days’  penal  servitude.  Assaults  on  Govern- 
ment officials  are  punished  according  to  the  rank  of  the 
official  assaulted,  and  the  penalties  are  exceptionally 
severe,  extending  even  unto  death.  Offences  against 
property  are  treated  severely,  robbery  by  armed  men, 
if  it  succeeds,  being  punishable  by  beheading,  and  if  it 
fails,  by  hanging.  Common  robbery  is  visited  with 
penal  servitude  for  life,  and  accidental  homicide,  during 
the  commission  of  a robbery,  by  hanging. 

The  domestic  laws,  as  we  may  term  them,  are  strong- 
ly in  favour  of  husbands  and  parents.  Thus,  a hus- 
band may  assault  Iris  vdfe  as  much  as  he  pleases  if  he 
avoids  making  a cutting  wound,  and  ev^en  then  the  pub- 
lic prosecutor  cannot  take  cognisance  of  the  offence 
except  at  the  wife’s  request,  but  if  a A^'ife  commits  a 
common  assault  on  her  husband,  she  is  liable  to  100 
days’  penal  ser^^,tude,  and  for  a husband  to  slay  an 
offending  wife  and  her  paramour  is  no  crime  at  all, 
unless  a certain  time  has  elapsed  since  ihe  discovery  of 
the  offence.  A parent  who  beats  a child  to  death  only 
incurs  2i  years  of  penal  servitude,  and  a parent  bring- 
ing a false  and  malicious  accusation  against  a child  is 
not  punished  at  all ; but  a child  who  disobej's  the  law- 
ful commands  of  his  parent  is  liable  to  penal  servitude 
for  100  days.  Nou-observance  of  the  prescribed  period 
of  mourning  for  parents  is  visited  with  penal  servitude 
for  one  j^ear.  A senior  relative  is  not  punished  for  an 
assault  on  a junior,  imless  an  incised  wound  be  inflicted, 
and  even  then  the  penalty  is  mitigated  according  to  the 


OFFENCES  AND  PUNISHMENTS. 


336 


aearness  of  the  relationship.  A recent  statute  prohib- 
its parents  and  husbands  from  selling  their  wives  or 
daughters  to  the  jdroyas  without  their  consent,  under 
severe  penalties.  Discarding  the  son  of  a wife  in 
favour  of  that  of  a concubine  is  visited  with  90  days’ 
penal  servitude,  and  a father  who  turns  his  son-in-law 
out  of  doors,  and  gives  his  wife  to  a second  husband, 
incurs  the  same  penalty.  Breaches  of  the  seventh 
comiuandment  are  punished  by  penal  servitude  for  one 
year,  without  distinction  of  sex. 

Lovers  arrested  in  the  act  of  committing  suicide,  are 
punished  by  ten  years  of  penal  servitude.  Trafficking 
in  opium  is  forbidden  under  pain  of  beheading,  and  in- 
citing to  the  use  of  it,  under  pain  of  hanging.  Gam- 
bling is  punished  by  penal  servitude  for  80  days,  unless 
the  stakes  have  been  limited  to  something  which  can  be 
eaten  or  drunk.  Misconduct  not  specially  provided 
against  in  the  codes  is  termed  “ impropriety,”  and  may 
be  visited  with  from  30  to  100  days  of  penal  servitude. 
Among  “ improprieties  ” are  breaking  idols,  disseminat- 
ing false,  malicious,  or  alarming  reports,  and  publish- 
ing written  matter  which  may  cause  difficulties  in  the 
administration  of  the  Government,  the  latter  being  a 
heading  under  which  all  free  expression  of  opinion  is 
Hable  to  be  classed. 

^ The  Government  is  thoroughly  in  earnest  in  the  re- 
form of  its  judicial  system,  and  has  been  engaged  for 
some  time  past  in  the  compilation  of  a new  penal  code, 
which,  it  is  understood,  will  be  modelled  on  the  French 
eriminal  law.  Whether  the  French  or  any  other  Euro- 
pean system  is  suited  to  the  present  condition  of  the 
Japanese  people  is  a question  of  great  importance  and 
difficulty,  and  the  Government  will  probably  not  be  in 
a hurry  to  decide  it.  A new  code  on  a European  model 
will  compel  the  careful  training  of  the  Judges  who  are 


336 


UNBEATEN  TRACKS  IN  JAPAN. 


to  apply  it,  the  reorganisation  of  the  Courts,  and  the 
establishment  of  a system  of  procedure  which  will  ad- 
mit of  evidence  being  taken  according  to  fixed  rules. 
It  will  also  demand  that  accused  persons  in  criminal 
cases  shall  be  openly  tried  and  defended,  and  that  there 
shall  be  a free  examination  of  witnesses,  both  by  the 
prosecution  and  defence.  A system  of  procedure  so 
jiovel  and  alien  to  custom  and  precedent,  could  only  be 
carried  out  effectively  by  judges  of  independent  posi- 
tion, aided  by  an  educated  bar,  but  the  officials  who  at 
present  occupy  the  bench  are  removable  at  the  will  of 
the  Minister  of  Justice,  and  barristers  are  not  yet  rec- 
ognised in  Japanese  courts.^  Legal  reform  is  one  of 
the  most  important  questions  which  the  Government 
has  to  face,  and  the  promidgation  of  a code,  however 
admirable,  is  only  the  initial  step.  It  not  only  involves 
the  reconstruction  of  the  Courts,  the  abolition  of  the 
present  system  of  procedure,  and  the  creation  of  a new 
judicature,  but  a revolution  in  Japanese  traditional 
notions  of  justice,  and  in  the  customs  which  are  inter- 
woven with  centuries  of  national  life.  In  the  present 
preliminary  stage  of  reform,  the  administration  of  jus 
tice  fails  to  command  the  confidence  of  foreigners,  and 
foreign  governments  are  naturally  unwilling  to  surren 
der  the  extra-territorial  rights  acquired  by  treaty,  which 
place  their  subjects  in  Japan,  as  in  other  Oriental  coun- 
tries, under  the  jurisdiction  of  their  own  laws. 

Nothing  is  more  surprising  than  the  efforts  wliich  the 
Government  is  making  to  educate  the  people,  and  it  is 
addressmg  itself  to  this  task  annually  with  increasing 
thoroughness.  The  new  educational  system  was  jdanned 
on  a noble  scale  m 1873,  by  an  ordinance  which  diadded 
the  Empire  into  seven  school  districts,  and  gave  one 

1 The  “ advocates  ” mentioned  on  p.  317,  vol.  i.,  are  what  in  England 
would  be  called  “ attorneys,” 


TUE  EDUCATIONAL  SYSTEM. 


337 


school  to  every  600  inhabitants.  It  is  based  upon 
elementary  schools,  and  ascends  through  Middle  and 
Normal  Schools  to  Foreign  Language  Schools,  and  Col- 
leges for  Special  Sciences.  The  Education  Report  for 
1877,  published  in  1879,  gives  the  number  of  elementarj’ 
schools  at  25,459,  with  a total  of  59,825  teachers,  58,- 
267  of  whom  were  males  and  1558  females.  The  total 
number  of  scholars  was  2,162,962,  or  1,594,792  boys 
and  568,220  girls,  school  age  being  from  six  to  fourteen. 
The  increase  on  the  previous  year  was  12.27  per  cent, 
but  the  percentage  of  daily  attendance,  which  was 
70.77,  was  a decrease  of  4.13  per  cent. 

In  these  schools  the  older  pupils  learn  both  the  kata~ 
kana  and  the  Chinese  characters  ; they  read  geography 
and  history,  are  exercised  in  arithmetic  with  western 
numerals  and  signs,  and  are  trained  to  give  “object 
lessons  ” to  the  younger  scholars,  a form  of  instruction 
which  finds  increasing  favour.  Something  is  done  for 
health  by  means  of  light  and  heavy  gymnastics,  and 
among  recent  innovations  is  the  orderly  marching  to 
and  from  seats.  In  some  schools  the  boys  are  trained 
to  give  precedence  to  girls.  Examinations  take  place 
at  the  re-opening  after  the  holidays,  and  officers  ap- 
pointed by  the  Edueation  Department  inspect  the 
schools  and  report  upon  their  efficiency.  Different 
text  books  to  the  number  of  174  are  used,  mostly  of 
foreign  origin,  and  often  misleading  from  the  imperfec- 
tions of  the  translation. 

The  course  of  study  and  the  regulations  for  the 
primary  schools  were  modelled  on  those  of  the  Govern- 
ment Normal  Schools,  uniformity  being  the  object  aimed 
at ; but  it  has  been  found  that  the  neglect  of  local 
custom,  aptitude,  and  requirements,  and  the  ignoring  of 
the  differences  between  a rural  and  urban  population 
produced  very  unsatisfactory  results,  and  the  system  is 


838 


UNBEATEN  TRACKS  IN  JAPAN. 


undergoing  modifications  which  will  increase  its  eflB 
ciency.  Simpler  text-books  are  being  prepared,  as,  foi 
instance,  me  on  geography,  in  which  the  physical  con- 
ditions, productions,  etc.,  of  the  special  locality  for 
whicli  it  is  required  are  treated  of.  The  standard  of 
instruction  has  been  raised  too  high  for  a peasant  popu- 
lation, and  has  mcreased  the  difficulty  of  obtaining 
competent  teachers ; and  hard  and  fast  rules  as  to 
school  terms,  in  regions  where  children  pursue  indus- 
trial occupations,  have  prevented  many  from  attending 
schools  at  all. 

It  was  intended  that  the  elementary  school  system 
should  be  administered  by  the  people,  but  it  has  been 
found  that  it  has  largely  fallen  into  the  hands  of  local 
Government  officials.  In  the  report  issued  in  1877  Mr. 
Tanaka,  then  acting  Minister  of  Education,  remarks 
that  altliough  at  first  “educational  matters  required 
dii'ect  interference  on  the  part  of  public  officers,  it 
would  be  a misfortune  for  the  interests  schools  to  be 
left  continually  so,”  and  fears  “lest,  owing  to  a want  of 
interest  on  the  part  of  the  people,  a retrograde  move 
ment  may  set  m.”  He  foreshadows  Japanese  schorl- 
boards  by  saying  that  “ school  matters  should  be  com- 
mitted as  far  as  possible  to  the  self-management  of  the 
people,  by  making  them  understand  that  it  is  their  duty 
to  assume  the  matters  of  schools  to  themselves,”  and 
advises  the  local  governments  to  give  them  all  the 
encouragement  and  help  which  can  assist  them  in  tlie 
performance  of  this  duty. 

It  must  not  be  overlooked  that  the  initial  difficult}' 
in  Japanese  education  arises  from  the  complexity  of  the 
language  and  of  the  ideographic  symbols,  and  that  the 
teaching  of  3000  of  the  latter  is  undertaken  in  the 
pi  imary  schools ! The  supply  of  properly  qualified 
teachers  for  the  lower  grades  of  scliools,  though  increas 


THE  EDUCATIONAL  SYSTEM. 


339 


iiig,  is  still  deficient,  and  imperfect  training  is  still  an- 
swerable for  defects,  many  men  taking  their  places  as 
pedagogues  after  only  100  days  in  the  normal  schools. 

The  total  revenue  for  the  year  was  i£l, 340,000,  ol 
which  sum  £537,000  was  made  up  by  local  votes, 
£161,000  by  voluntarj^  contributions,  £78,000  by  fees, 
and  £109,000  by  Government  aid,  the  expenditure 
being  £1,072,000,  and  the  total  value  of  school  property 
£2,593,000  ; teachers’  salaries  averaged  something  under 
£9  a year,  and  school  fees  about  8d.  for  each  child.  It 
is  to  be  noted  that  besides  £161,000  in  money  volun- 
tarily contributed  for  the  primary  schools,  they  received 
large  donations  of  land,  310  buildings,  16,576  sets  of 
school  apparatus,  26,507  complete  sets  of  books,  and 
miscellaneous  contributions  to  the  amount  of  £1200. 
Within  the  last  five  yeai-s  the  voluntary  contributions 
in  money  only  have  exceeded  one  million  seven  hundred 
thousand  pounds  ! 

The  middle  schools  have  increased  rapidly  in  numbers 
during  the  last  four  years,  in  consequence  mainly  of  an 
increased  desire  for  the  acquisition  of  the  higher  com- 
mon branches  of  learning.  The  course  of  instruction 
extends  over  2J,  3,  4,  or  5 years,  and  the  studies,  slightly 
modified  by  local  considerations  are  as  follows:  — writ- 
ing, grammar,  composition,  drawing,  language,  foreign 
languages  (English  being  taught  in  15  schools),  geogra- 
phy, history,  arithmetic,  algebra,  geometry,  physics, 
chemistry,  astronomy,  geology,  natural  history,  physi- 
ologjq  agriculture,  mechanics,  commerce,  book-keeping, 
statistics,  mental  and  moral  philosophy,  political  econ- 
omy, law,  and  gymnastics.  This  is  a very  ambitious 
course,  for  which  the  instruction  in  the  primary  schools 
can  scarcely  be  regarded  as  preparatory.  There  were 
389  middle  schools,  with  910  teachers,  only  23  of  whom 
were  females.  In  these  schools  there  is  the  first  ap 


340 


UNBEATEN  TRACKS  IN  JAPAN. 


pearance  of  the  foreign  element  in  education,  15  foreign 
men  and  1 foreign  woman  being  employed.  The  number 
of  students  was  20,522,  an  increase  of  nearly  9000  over 
the  previous  year,  but  the  female  students  only  number 
1112. 

The  educational  system  includes  schools  for  special 
sciences,  of  which  there  were  52  in  different  localities, 
with  161  teachers  and  3361  students.  These  colleges 
teach  law,  medicine,  agriculture,  commerce,  navigation, 
chemistry,  mathematics,  etc.  Mathematics  was  the 
specialty  of  the  larger  number  of  them,  and  medical 
and  commercial  schools  come  next  in  order,  the  medical 
being  by  far  the  most  important. 

The  edifice  is  crowned  by  the  University  of  T6kiyo, 
which  includes  departments  of  law,  literature,  and 
science,  the  TSkiyo  Medical  College,  a preparatory  de- 
partment formerly  known  as  an  English  language 
school,  and  a botanic  garden.  The  number  of  students 
in  the  three  first  departments  was  710,  and  the  instruc- 
tors numbered  56,  32  being  Japanese,  and  24  foreign. 
The  preparatory  course  includes  English,  mathematics, 
geography,  physics,  chemistrjy  history,  political  econo- 
my, philosophy,  natural  historj-,  drawing,  etc.,  and 
covers  three  years.  The  special  course  of  Law  em- 
braces International  and  the  various  branches  of  Eng- 
lish Law ; Science  includes  Chemistrj",  Ph3^sics,  and 
Engineering ; and  Literature.,  which  is  a new  depai  N 
ment,  includes  the  different  branches  usually  taught 
under  that  head.  The  complete  graduation  coui-se  is 
five  years.  During  1875-1876  nineteen  students  of 
special  ability  were  sent  to  foreign  countries,  of  which 
number  more  than  half  have  completed  their  education, 
and  have  obtained  the  master's  or  bachelor's  degree  of 
the  universities  or  colleges  to  which  the}"  were  sent. 
They  receive  loans  of  X200  a year,  a heavy  debt  with 
wliich  to  start  upon  poorly-salaried  life  at  home. 


THE  UNIVERSITY  OF  t6KIT6.  341 

The  Medical  Department,  which  is  mainly  undei 
German  influence,  divides  its  students  into  two  classes, 
medical  and  pharmaceutical,  and  provides  two  courses, 
preparatory  and  special.  The  supply  of  instructed 
practitioners  is  so  limited  that  a short  and  simple  course 
of  medicine  for  day  students  was  organised  in  1876, 
and  in  1877,  293  students  availed  themselves  of  it. 
The  preparatory  course  includes  geology,  botany,  nat- 
ural history,  mineralogy,  geography,  physics,  mathe- 
matics, chemistry,  German,  Latin,  etc. ; and  the  special 
course  comprises  medicine,  surgery,  obstetrics,  zoology, 
botany,  materia  medica,  anatomy,  histology,  physics, 
physiology,  and  chemistry.  A hospital,  library,  ana- 
tomical rooms,  botanical  and  zoological  collections,  and 
an  extensive  supply  of  surgical  and  medical  apparatus, 
are  attached  to  the  department,  and  in  1877, 117  corpses 
were  subjected  to  dissection.  The  hospital  treated  836 
in-patients  and  4290  out-patients  in  the  same  period. 
At  least  seven-tenths  of  the  medical  practitioners  of 
the  Empire  still  pursue  the  method  of  the  Chinese 
sehools,  and  the  Medical  College  promises  a most  im- 
portant advance  in  curative  and  surgical  science.  The 
total  number  of  day  and  resident  medical  students,  in- 
cluding those  in  the  preparatory  department,  was  1040, 
with  24  Japanese  and  11  foreign  instructors.  The 
annual  cost  of  the  four  departments  of  the  University 
of  TOkiyo  is  estimated  at  £55,000. 

There  were  two  Normal  Colleges  (i.e.  Normal  schools 
for  training  teachers  for  the  middle  schools),  with  25 
instructors  and  177  students;  and  96  Normal  schools 
(for  training  teachers  for  the  elementary  schools),  5 of 
which  were  for  females.  The  latter  contained  7222 
males  and  727  females,  and  were  instructed  by  766  male 
and  24  female  teachers.  The  scarcity  of  competent 
teachers  for  the  elementary  schools  is  still  severely  felt, 


342 


UNBEATEN  TRACKS  IN  JAPAN. 


and  the  Government  is  most  anxious  to  extend  the 
supply  and  increase  the  acquirements  of  teachers  by 
rendering  the  course  of  study  and  training  in  these 
schools  more  complete  and  eflScient.  The  Normal 
School  course  covers  two  years,  and  usually  compre- 
hends history,  geography,  mathematics,  physics,  chem- 
istry, natural  history,  moral  philosophy,  political  econo- 
my, physiology,  book-keeping,  composition,  pedagogics, 
practice  of  teaching,  hygiene,  singing,  and  gymnastics, 
to  which  logic  and  the  elements  of  English  are  occa- 
sionally added. 

The  foreign  language  schools  were  at  one  time  re- 
garded as  of  great  importance,  and  certain  progressive 
persons,  notably  Mr.  Mori,  the  present  Minister  to  Eng- 
land, cherished  hopes  of  the  introduction  of  English 
under  certain  modifications  into  Japan  as  the  written 
and  eventually  as  the  spoken  language,  and  many  peo- 
ple here  seem  to  suppose  that  this  project  has  made 
much  headway.  It  is  a remarkable  fact  that  in  the 
single  year  dealt  with  by  the  last  report  (that  for  1877) 
the  number  of  foreign  language  schools  decreased  from 
92  to  28,  and  tliat  the  chief  reason  assigned  for  the  de- 
crease is  that  “ the  people  have  learned  that  foreign 
languages  are  not  ver}'  useful  or  serviceable  outside  of 
the  large  cities  opened  for  commerce,  and  that  the}”^ 
cannot  be  profitably  studied  by  the  mass  of  the  popula- 
tion.” In  the  same  year  the  number  of  native  teachers 
decreased  by  298,  and  that  of  foreign  teachers  by  85 : 
that  of  male  studei  ts  by  4223,  and  that  of  females  bj’ 
347.  In  the  schools  which  remain  English  is  taught  in 
25,  German  in  1,  Chinese  in  1,  and  French,  German, 
Russian,  and  Chinese  in  1,  the  total  number  being  28, 
with  109  teachers,  27  of  whom  are  foreign,  and  1522 
students,  120  of  whom  were  females. 

The  total  number  of  foreign  teachers  in  Government 


FEMALE  EDUCATION. 


343 


employment  was  97,  65  of  whom  were  English  and 
American. 

Increased  attention  is  being  paid  to  female  education, 
the  various  mission  schools  are  producing  considerable 
rivalry,  and  the  Empress  Haruku  has  come  prominently 
forward  as  a patroness  of  “the  higher  education  of 
women.”  In  the  elementary  schools,  the  number  of 
female  teachers  was  1558,  an  increase  of  over  100  per 
cent  on  the  number  in  1875,  and  with  the  advantages 
offered  by  5 Normal  schools,  the  number  of  women  who 
are  qualifying  themselves  for  the  profession  of  teaching 
is  increasing  considerably.  The  number  being  trained 
in  the  Normal  schools  was  727,  an  increase  of  264  on 
the  previous  year ; but  in  the  middle  schools  there  was 
a decrease  in  the  already  small  number  of  female  stu- 
dents. In  the  primary  schools  the  number  of  girls  had 
increased  8.34  per  cent,  while  the  number  of  boys  had 
only  increased  3.93,  but  still  of  the  total  number  of 
children  in  these  schools,  the  girls  are  only  one-third. 
The  pupils  in  the  schools  for  female  handicraft  number 
nearly  3000.  Mr.  Tanaka  is  strongly  in  favour  of  the 
multiplication  of  female  teachers.  He  writes,  “ The 
education  of  children  should  be  so  conducted  as  to 
develop  grace  and  gentleness  of  manners  and  deport- 
ment. If  they  are  brought  up  under  the  influence  of 
the  gentler  qualities  of  female  teachers,  a much  better 
result  may  be  expected  to  be  attained  than  where  they 
are  trained  entirely  by  men.” 

Instruction  is  everywhere  conveyed  on  Western  prin- 
ciples, and  the  pupils  in  the  upper  schools  are  required 
to  sit  on  benches  and  work  at  desks.  In  the  Govern- 
ment colleges,  innovation  is  carried  so  far  that  the  stu- 
dents eat  food  prepared  in  European  fashion,  and  use 
knives  and  forks. 

Intellectual  ardour,  eager  receptiveness,  admirable 


344 


UNBEATEN  TRACKS  IN  JAPAN. 


behaviour,  earnest  self-control,  docility,  and  an  appetite 
for  hard  and  continuous  work,  characterise  Japanese 
students;  and  their  average  intellectual  power  and 
general  ability  are  regarded  by  their  foreign  teachers  as 
ecpial  to  those  of  Western  students.  Further  compari- 
sons must  be  left  to  the  future.  The  earnest  work 
done  by  both  teachers  and  students  has  ali-eady  resulted 
in  the  turning  out  of  a number  of  young  men,  well 
equipped  both  in  the  intellectual  and  technical  training 
needed  for  practical  work ; and  it  is  not  too  much  to 
expect  that  in  a few  years  the  empire  will  be  able  to 
dispense  with  the  services  of  foreigners  in  most  of  the 
Government  departments,  and  that  the  resources  of 
Japan  will  be  developed  by  the  Japanese. 

It  remains  to  be  pointed  out  that  In  the  absence  of  a 
compulsory  law,  only  39.9  per  cent  of  the  population 
of  school  age  is  at  school,  i.e.  that  3,158,000  children 
are  not  receiving  any  instruction,  that  a large  propor- 
tion of  the  peasantry  is  in  the  lowest  stage  of  mental 
development,  that  thi’oughout  extensive  districts  the 
children  are  surrounded  by  influences  tending  towards 
intellectual  and  moral  debasement,  and  that  a vast  and 
not  altogether  inert  mass  of  ignorance  and  superstition 
still  exists  to  impede  progress,  embarrass  the  Govern- 
ment, and  break  out  in  trivial  local  disturbances. 

The  primary  school  system,  besides  its  need  (as 
pointed  out  in  Mr.  Tanaka’s  able  reports)  of  being 
placed  on  a sound  and  efficient  basis,  is  marked,  I 
think,  by  two  radical  defects,  — the  general  omission  of 
moral  training  (the  moral  teaching  of  the  Chinese  clas- 
sics being  suffered  to  fall  into  disuse  under  the  new  sys- 
tem, tlie  classics  being  used  chiefly  as  a vmhicle  for 
teaching  the  Chinese  character),  and  the  revolutionary 
attempt  to  force  European  methods,  cultirre,  and  modes 
of  thought  upon  an  unprepared  people.  Till  the  ele 


PRIM  ART  SCHOOL  SYSTEM. 


345 


me^tary  education  is  rendered  more  thorough  and  effi- 
cient, various  perils  attend  upon  the  higher  education, 
and  in  the  present  lack  of  careers  for  men  of  culture 
solely,  there  is  some  risk  that  one  or  two  of  the  higher 
colleges  which  aim  at  imparting  cirlture,  but  do  not  pro- 
fess to  give  a thorough  training  in  those  branches  of 
knowledge  which  are  of  practical  utility  in  work-a-day 
life  may  increase  the  number  of  glib  and  superficial 
smatterers  who  despise  manual  labour,  affect  expensive 
foreign  habits,  and  render  the  task  of  government  in- 
creasingly difficult  by  rushing  into  the  newspapers  with 
wild  philosophical  speculations,  Utopian  social  schemes, 
and  crude  political  theories. 

These  remarks  are  not  made  in  any  spirit  of  invidi 
ous  criticism.  Japan  deserves  the  very  highest  credit 
for  spending  twice  as  much  upon  her  elementary  schools 
as  upon  her  Navy,  for  her  desire  to  construct  her  educa- 
tional system  upon  the  best  models,  for  her  readiness 
to  correct  defects  and  learn  by  failures,  and  for  her  no- 
ble efforts  to  bring  education  within  the  reach  of  all 
classes ; but  we  must  bear  in  mind  that  the  primary 
school  system  is  still  in  its  infancy,  that  three  millions 
of  children  are  without  education,  that  very  much  has 
yet  to  be  done,  and  that  the  future  of  the  empire  is  un- 
doubtedly imperilled  by  a vast  ruass  of  ignorance  and 
superstition  on  the  one  hand,  and  by  a superficial  exotic 
culture  on  the  other. 

The  problem  of  “how  to  make  ends  meet”  has 
vexed  the  brains  and  tested  the  resomces  of  Japanese 
statesmen  ever  since  1871,  when  the  Mikado  assumed 
the  responsibility  of  the  debts  which  the  daimiyd  had 
contracted  to  Japanese  subjects  before  the  Itestoration, 
and  of  the  paper  money  of  all  sorts  and  values  which 
they  had  issued,  substituting  for  it  a uniform  paper  cur- 
rency. The  reduction  to  order  of  the  chaotic  confu 


346 


UNBEATEN  TRACKS  IN  JAPAN. 


sion  of  the  financial  system  under  the  feudal  regimt 
was  carried  out  with  so  much  vigour  and  abilit}',  that 
by  1873  the  Government  was  able  to  publish  estimates 
of  the  national  revenue  for  that  3"ear,  which,  as  might 
be  expected,  were  faulty -in  form,  and  not  altogetlier  ac- 
curate in  detail.  Each  subsequent  year  has  brought  an 
improvement,  and  the  estimates  for  the  twelve  months 
ending  with  June  1880  are  as  correct  in  form,  and  on 
the  whole  as  explicit  in  detail,  as  those  of  some  Euro- 
pean states,  and  are  accompanied  by  a Finance  Report 
which  reflects  great  credit  upon  Mr.  Okuma,  the  Fi- 
nance Minister. 

It  must  be  borne  in  mind,  however,  that  official  ac- 
counts of  expenditure  have  only  been  issued  down  to 
1875,  that  there  is  no  public  body  which  has  power 
to  look  into  and  audit  accounts,  and  that  confidence  in 
Japanese  financial  statements  must  rest  partly  on  the 
character  of  the  Finance  Minister,  and  partly  on  the 
fact  that  the  Government  has  been  able  to  pa}'  its  way 
without  having  recourse  to  oppressive  or  risky  expedi- 
ents. This  confidence  is  increased  by  the  manly  tone 
of  Mr.  Okuma’s  last  report,  in  wliich,  after  regretting 
that  the  financial  system  still  falls  short  of  complete- 
ness, he  “ begs  respectfully  to  observe  that  the  essence 
of  finance  is  to  be  as  exact  and  minute  as  possible,  and 
that  records  are  only  of  utility  when  they  are  complete 
and  methodical ; ” and  expresses  his  earnest  desii-e  that 
from  this  year  onwards,  “ additional  accuracy  may  be 
attained,  and  both  estimates  and  accounts  of  the  na- 
tional finances  become  more  and  more  methodical.  ” 
This  is  much  to  be  desu’ed  in  the  interests  of  Japan, 
but  that  which  has  already  been  accomplished  in  the 
short  period  of  nine  years  reflects  great  credit  upon  a 
country  which  had  special  difficulties  to  encounter  in 
the  unification  of  its  financial  system. 


THE  NATIONAL  DEBT. 


347 


Japan  has  not  been  behind  other  civilised  nations  in 
the  rapid  contraction  of  a National  Debt,  which  at  the 
present  time  amounts  to  <£72,000,000,  but  a compara- 
tively small  portion  of  this  has  been  incurred  volunta- 
rily, or  has  been  spent  upon  the  material  progress  which 
has  astonished  the  world.  The  legacy  of  debt  inherited 
from  the  old  regime  amounted  to  <£14,215,000,  and  to 
this  sum  we  must  add  .£40,312,000,  which  was  required 
to  redeem  the  hereditary  pensions  of  the  higher  nobles 
and  the  military  caste,  as  well  as  those  granted  to 
Shinto  priests.  In  other  words,  it  cost  Japan  £54.527,- 
000  in  round  numbers  to  close  accounts  with  her  his- 
toric past.  The  Government  was  also  forced  to  resort 
to  loans  to  meet  war  expenses,  mainly  incurred  through 
risings  against  its  authority ; the  Satsuma  Rebellion  in 
1877  added  ,£8,400,000  to  its  indebtedness,  and  the 
Formosa  Expedition  demanded  loans  amounting  nearly 
to  £2,000,000  more.  What  may  be  termed  the  volun- 
tary debt  of  the  new  regime  may  be  estimated  at 
£9,855,000,  and  £3,600,000  may  be  termed  Industrial 
Loans,  including  the  London  Railway  Loan.  Only 
one-thirtieth  of  the  whole  National  Debt  is  due  to  for- 
eigners, and  the  average  rate  of  interest  on  both  for- 
eign and  domestic  debt  is  4^  per  cent,  the  rate  of  interest 
on  private  debts  being  12.20  per  cent.  The  interest 
on  the  debt  demands  £3,183,000  annually,  out  of  a 
revenue  of  £11,130,000.  Paper  money  issued  by  the 
Government  to  the  amount  of  £24,000,000,  but  dimin- 
ished by  the  withdrawal  of  £1,477,000,  constitutes  32.2 
per  cent  of  the  debt,  and  has  been  spent,  as  it  appears, 
mainly  on  the  politically  necessary,  but  unproductive 
expenses  of  the  redemption  of  the  paper  money,  and 
the  assumption  of  the  debts  of  the  daimiyd,  in  order  to 
make  the  unification  of  the  empire  possible,  on  extraor- 
dinary war  expenses,  mainly  in  order  to  preserve  its  in 


348 


UNBEATEN  TRACKS  IN  JAPAN. 


legrity,  and  the  formation  of  a Reserve  Fund,  consisting 
partly  of  ready  money,  for  the  purpose  of  meeting  un- 
foreseen contingencies  and  perils.  It  does  not  appeal 
that  the  Government  issue  of  paper  has  largely  increased 
the  circulating  medium,  because  it  has  been  required  to 
replace  former  paper  issued  by  the  daimiyd,  and  eoiii 
which  lias  left  the  country  in  consequence  of  the  im- 
ports being  largely  in  excess  of  the  exports.  The  Na 
tional  Debt  stands  at  the  present  time  thus  — 


Doraestic  debt  bearing  interest  . 

£45,726,226 

0 

0 

Domestic  debt  bearing  no  interest,  including 

Government  paper  money 

24,735,544 

0 

0 

Total  of  domestic  debt 

£70,461,770 

0 

0 

Foreign  debt  .... 

2,365,824 

0 

0 

Total  of  domestic  and  foreign  debt  in 

round  numbers  (about) 

£72,827,590 

0 

0 

The  chief  source  of  revenue  is  the  Imperial  Land 
Tax,  which  has  been  reduced  to  per  cent  on  the  sell- 
ing value  of  the  land,  and  it  is  estimated  that  this  tax 
will  produce  £8,200,000  during  the  current  year.  Then 
follow  the  tax  on  alcoholic  liquors,  which  it  is  estimated 
will  yield  <£901,000;  the  export  and  import  duties, 
<£428,000 ; the  profits  on  Government  industrial  under- 
takings, <£238,000;  postage  stamps,  £210,000;  the  tax 
on  legal  documents,  £107,000;  the  tax  on  companies, 
£100,000;  the  tax  on  tobacco,  £69,000;  the  tax  on  the 
piuduce  of  the  HokkaidO  (Yezo),  £72,000  ; and  the  tax 
on  vehicles,  £54,000. 

For  the  jmar  ending  June  30,  1880,  the  revenue  is 
estimated  at  £11,130,000,  being  an  increase  of  £475,000 
over  the  preceding  year,  this  increase  being  accomited 
for  mainly  by  increased  receipts  from  import  and  ex- 
port duties,  from  land,  mining,  liquor,  ship,  boat,  and 


THE  NATIONAL  DEBT. 


349 


vehicle  taxes ; from  increased  post-ofiQce  receipts  and 
copyright  fees,  and  from  the  increasing  number  of  per- 
sons taking  out  attorney’s  horse,  cattle-dealers’,  and 
druggists’  licenses. 

The  expenditure,  for  the  reason  that  all  surplus  is  to 
be  applied  to  the  reduction  of  debt,  is  estimated  at  ex- 
actly the  same  sum  as  the  revenue.  Among  its  chief 
items  are  the  interest  on  the  National  Debt,  ^£3,130,000 ; 
the  army,  which  costs  1,438,000;  the  administration 
of  fu  and  7cm,  £757,000;  the  navy,  £527,000;  tht 
police,  £497,000;  and  colonisation,  £302,000.  This 
year’s  appropriation  for  embankments  is  £289,000; 
for  education,  £227,000  ; for  industrial  undertakings, 
£201,000;  and  for  the  Civil  List  and  appanages  of 
Imperial  Princes,  £175,000.  It  is  noteworthy  that  the 
charge  for  the  Ministry  of  Public  Worship  appears  for 
the  last  time  in  1876-1877,  and  that  the  appropriation 
for  the  “ Temples  of  the  Gods,”  which  was  £44,000 
in  1875-1876  and  1877,  has  decreased  to  £27,000  for 
1879-1880.1 

The  magnitude  of  the  national  debt  is  the  outstand- 
ing feature  of  Japanese  finance,  but  it  may  be  a sm-prise 
to  some  readers  to  learn  that  the  cost  of  the  projects 
entered  upon  by  the  new  regime  and  of  the  reconstruc- 
tion of  the  Empire  is  under  £10,000,000 ; that  53.7  per 
cent  of  the  whole  debt  is  regarded  by  Mr.  Maydt,  the 
Councillor  to  the  Finance  Department,  as  “ directly 
profitable  ; ” that  a reserve  fund  of  £5,000,000  has  been 
created  out  of  surplus  revenue ; and  that  the  following 
extraordinary  expenses  have  been  met  out  of  ordinary 
revenue : — The  creation  and  equipment  of  an  armjy 
with  large  military  workshops,  barracks,  etc. ; the  pur- 
chase and  construction  of  a navy  of  27  ships  of  all 

1 For  general  tables  of  revenue  and  expenditure  for  1879-1880  th« 
reader  is  referred  to  Mr.  Okuuia’s  estimates  given  in  Appendix  C- 


350 


UNBEATEN  TBACKS  IN  JAPAN. 


classes,  including  ii'onclads,  and  the  establishment  ol 
arsenals,  building-yards,  and  docks;  the  equipment  of 
the  coast  with  an  efficient  system  of  lighthouses;  the 
construction  of  8000  miles  of  telegraph,  with  telegraph 
offices ; the  establishing  an  efficient  post-office  system, 
with  Postal  Savings  Banks ; reform  in  the  civil  admin- 
istration, and  ill  the  civil  and  penal  codes ; the  re-ar- 
rangement of  the  Land  Tax,  and  the  establishment  of 
a uniform  system  of  taxation  for  the  whole  Empire  ; the 
establishment  of  custom-houses,  tlie  mint,  and  a Gov- 
ei’mnent  printing-office  ; the  issue  of  new  paper  money, 
and  a new  coinage ; the  establishment  of  a University, 
Medical  College,  and  Technical  University  (College  of 
Engineering)  ; the  establislunent  of  and  provision  for 
primary,  middle,  and  liigher  schools  up  to  1876;  the 
colonisation  and  sm-vey  of  Yezo ; the  introduction  of 
the  breeding  of  sheep,  and  improvements  in  the  breeds 
of  horses  and  cattle,  and  the  establishment  of  model 
farms,  tree-nurseries,  acclimatisation  gardens,  agricul- 
tural colleges,  industrial  colleges,  and  museiuns ; extra- 
ordinary embassies  to  Europe  and  America ; participation 
in  the  Exhibitions  of  Vienna,  Philadelphia,  and  Paris , 
and  the  education  of  several  hundred  youths  in  Europe 
and  America,  etc.  etc. 

The  Finance  Minister,  far  from  accepting  the  dictum 
of  Lorenzo  von  Stein  (^Lelirhuch  der  Finanz-wissenHchaft^.. 
(pioted  by  the  able  Councillor  to  the  Finance  Depart- 
ment, has  recently  devised  and  made  public  an  elab- 
orate scheme  for  the  liquidation  of  the  wffiole  debt  of 
Japan  by  1905,  without  either  increasing  taxation  or 
trenchinsT  on  the  reserve  fund.  The  success  of  the  ar- 
rangemeut  involves  a complete  absence  of  financially 
or  politically  distirrbmg  events;  but  though  Japanese 
paper  is  subject  to  very  severe  depreciation  as  com- 
pared with  gold,  and  the  rise  in  the  price  of  the  neces- 


FOREIGN  TRADE. 


351 


saries  of  life  is  a disquieting  symptom,  I think  that  we 
are  not  in  a position  to  say  that  Mr.  Okuma’s  projeet  is 
an  altogether  chimerical  one,  although  it  is  impossible 
to  agree  with  the  strongly  optimist  view  of  it  taken  by 
Mr.  Maydt,  or  with  von  Stein’s  view  that  “ a state  with 
out  a national  debt  is  either  not  doing  enough  for  the 
future,  or  is  demanding  too  much  from  the  present.” 

The  foreign  commerce  ^ of  Japan  is  a subject  of  great 
practical  interest,  to  foreigners  because  it  forms  nearly 
their  sole  objeet  for  intercourse,  and  to  the  Japanese, 
because  they  depend  upon  it  for  the  development  of 
their  material  resources.  It  dates  from  the  abolition 
of  the  exclusive  system,  which  was  pursued  down  to 
1858.  Before  that  year  the  Japanese,  having  no  foreign 
market,  in  which  to  dispose  of  their  surplus  productions, 
were  without  one  of  the  principal  incentives  to  indus- 
try. They  grew  food,  or  manufactured  commodities  in 
quantities  sufficient  to  meet  them  own  wants ; the  har- 
vest of  the  year  constituted  the  material  wealth  of  the 
country,  and  the  store  of  national  capital  admitted  of 
little  or  no  augmentation.  But  when  foreigners  came 
to  their  doors  and  offered  them  money  or  foreign  wares 
in  exchange  for  then-  productions,  a potent  stimulus  to 
increased  exertion  was  afforded  them,  and  its  effect 
testifies  to  their  intelligence  and  industry. 

The  products  which  Japan  furnishes  to  other  coun- 
tries consist  of  raw  silk,  silkworms’  eggs,  tea,  rice,  cop- 
per, t 'jbacco,  camphor,  vegetable  wax,  dried  and  salted 
fish,  and  various  art  manufactures  in  silk,  metals,  and 
chinaware.  The  first  four  items  constitute  the  staple 

1 In  Appendix  D will  be  found  three  returns  compiled  at  the  British 
Legation,  Tokiyo,  winch  furnish  in  a condensed  form  particulars  of  the 
Import  and  export  trade  of  Japan  for  a period  of  thirteen  years;  also  a 
return  showing  the  large  amount  of  foreign  tonnage  which  that  trade 
employs,  and  a table  of  foreign  residents,  the  majority  of  whom  are 
engaged  in  mercantile  occupations. 


352 


UNBEATEN  TRACKS  IN  JAPAN. 


articles  of  export.  The  highest  value  which  these 
items  reached  in  any  one  year  was,  in  the  case  of  law 
silk,  nearly  fifteen  millions  of  dollars  [£3,000,000  ster- 
ling], in  that  of  silkworms’  eggs  more  than  four  millions, 
in  that  of  tea  nearly  eight  millions,  and  in  that  of  rice 
upwards  of  four  and  a half  millions ; while  the  collec- 
tive value  of  the  other  exports  in  a single  year  has 
amounted  to  seven  millions.  The  extent  of  the  trans- 
actions in  these  commodities  varies  considerably  in  dif- 
ferent years,  but  the  average  value  of  the  total  export 
trade  of  Japan  for  the  three  years  1876-1878  was  twenty- 
five  millions  and  a half  of  dollars  [£5,100,000]. 

Japan  has  rendered  a most  material  service  to  the 
silk-growers  of  France  and  Italy  by  providing  them 
with  fresh  silk  ova,  when  their  own  supplies  were  nearly 
destroyed  by  the  disease  which  attained  its  height  in 
1864.  A more  striking  instance  of  international  com- 
mercial benefit  has  rarely  been  witnessed,  for  it  is  doubt- 
ful whether  a sufficient  supply  of  the  requisite  kind  of 
silkworms’  eggs  could  have  been  procured  from  any 
other  quarter,  and  the  emergency  arose  very  shortly 
after  the  opening  of  the  country. 

In  return  for  her  products  Japan  takes  from  Europe 
and  America,  cotton  yarn,  cotton  and  woollen  manu- 
factures of  all  kinds,  iron,  machinery,  kerosene  oil,  and 
many  minor  articles,  such  as  cutlery,  leather,  and  orna- 
mental wares  ; wliile  from  China  she  receives  sugar,  and 
occasional  supplies  of  raw  coitton,  which  is  an  micertain 
crop  in  Japan.  The  average  value  of  the  imported 
goods  for  the  three  years,  1876-1878,  was  twenty-eight 
millions  of  dollars  [£5,600,000].  Of  these  goods,  cot- 
ton and  woollen  manufactures  form  the  principal  items  ; 
cottons  were  imported  in  1878  to  the  amount  of  nearly 
thirteen  millions  of  dollars,  hut  woollens  have  fallen 
off  since  1872,  when  the  highest  importation  of  seven 


FOREIGN  TRADE. 


353 


C iilious  and  a half  of  dollars  was  reached.  The  de- 
mand for  cotton  manufactures  appears  to  be  nearly  sta- 
tionary, while  that  for  cotton  yarn  [as  distinguished 
from  cotton  cloth]  is  steadily  increasing. 

The  latter  circumstance  may  be  regarded  as  a solid 
and  favourable  feature  of  the  trade.  Every  cottage  pos- 
sesses its  own  loom,  which  is  worked  by  the  women  of 
the  family,  who  can  produce  fabrics  which,  besides  being 
genuine,  are  stronger  and  better  suited  to  their  wants 
and  tastes  than  those  of  Manchester  make,  and  by  using 
a large  proportion  of  foreign  yarn,  which  can  be  sup- 
plied to  them  cheaper  than  they  can  spin  it  themselves, 
the  people  are  furnished  with  abundant  materials  for 
the  extension  of  their  own  manufactures,  and  are 
guarded  against  the  bad  consequences  of  a failure  of 
their  home  cotton  crop.  Thus  the  native  industry,  in- 
stead of  being  supplanted  by  that  of  the  foreigner, 
works  in  unison  with  it,  and  the  result  is  a large  in- 
crease in  the  national  production. 

Of  the  general  effect  of  the  opening  of  Japan  to 
foreign  trade  it  is  difficult  to  judge,  as  we  must  weigh 
against  an  apparent  improvement  in  the  dwellings,  cloth- 
ing, and  feeding  of  the  people  in  the  neighbourhood  of 
its  principal  centres,  the  enhanced  price  of  the  necessa- 
ries of  life  throughout  the  country.  It  has  created  a 
new  order  of  native  traders  and  merchants,  whose 
activity  may  be  noticed  in  many  of  the  large  towns; 
while  the  foreign  demand  for  Japanese  metal-work  and 
ceramic  wares,  fans,  fine  bamboo  work,  enamels,  and  the 
numerous  articles  kno'wn  by  the  name  of  “curios,”  has 
largely  benefited  the  skilled  artisans  of  the  country, 
and  has  opened  to  them  new  and  extensive  fields  of 
employment.  Thus  foreign  traffic  is  bringing  forward 
a middle  class,  which  may  be  looked  to  as  a means  of 
promoting  not  only  the  commercial  prosperity  of  the 
country,  but  also  its  political  wellbeing. 


354 


UNBEATEN  TBACK8  IN  JAPAN. 


IV',  futui-e  of  the  foreign  commerce  of  Japan  depends 
upon  the  increase  of  production.  Silk  growing,  next  to 
ordinary  agriculture,  forms  her  principal  industry,  and 
the  Government  has  wisely  paid  great  attention  to  the 
improvement  of  the  quality  of  the  silk  which  is  pro 
duced.  It  has  also  shown  a laudable  desire  to  fostet 
other  industries,  without  always  perceiving,  however, 
that  it  is  only  those  which  are  to  some  extent  natural  to 
the  country  which  can  profit  by  such  encouragement ; 
and.  like  other  young  and  paternal  governments,  it  has 
not  yet  realised  that  free  competition  is  essential  to  the 
growth  of  healthy  enterprise,  and  that  privileges  and 
monopolies  only  serve  to  impede  the  expansion  of  trade. 
The  population  of  Japan  is  essentially  an  agricultural 
one,  and  it  is  certainly  a mistake  to  attempt  prema- 
turely to  convert  an  agricultural  people  into  a man\afac- 
turing  one. 

Undoubtedly,  it  is  to  the  development  of  her  very 
large  mineral  and  agricultural  resources  that  Japan 
must  look  for  her  advancement  in  wealth.  But  though 
capital  is  the  one  thing  needed  for  the  working  of  her 
mineral  treasures,  and  the  nation  has  very  little  of  its 
own,  the  Government  has  rigidly  excluded  the  introduc- 
tion of  foreign  capital,  and  the  result  of  this  and  other 
restrictive  measures  is  shown  in  the  limited  increase  in 
the  exports,  in  the  costl}^  character  of  internal  trans- 
port, owing  to  the  primitive  condition  of  the  roads,  and 
the  high  freights  of  the  Japanese  Steam-ship  Company, 
vshich  monopolises  the  coast  carrying  trade,  and  in  the 
slow  development  of  the  enormous  coal-fields,  the  mines, 
and  other  productive  enterprises,  \A  hich  cannot  be  under- 
taken without  considerable  outlaj'. 

“Dense  population”  and  “garden  cultivation”  are 
phrases  which  travellers  constantly  apply  to  Japan,  but 
the  highest  estimate  only  gives  230  inhabitants  to  the 


THE  RESOURCES  OF  JAPAN. 


855 


square  mile,  and  though  the  tillage  of  the  area  ac 
tually  occupied  deserves  the  highest  praise,  it  is  esti- 
mated by  the  Japanese  Government  that  only  tivo-tenths 
of  the  soil  is  actually  under  cultivation,  and  that  the 
forests  alone  greatly  exceed  the  area  under  culture  of 
all  kinds.  A new  trade  in  wheat  is  springing  up,  and 
there  is  little  doubt  that  many  of  the  vast  upland  tracts 
which  are  now  lying  waste,  as  being  unsuited  for  the 
growth  of  rice,  might  be  profitably  utilised  for  wheat 
and  other  cereals.  The  island  of  Yezo,  with  a rich  soil, 
and  an  area  larger  than  Ireland,  has  hardly  yet  been 
touched  by  the  plough,  and  between  her  adaptability  to 
che  growth  of  wheat,  and  her  immense  coal-fields,  is  a 
mine  of  future  wealth.  On  the  whole,  there  is  no  doubt 
that  it  is  mainly  to  her  undeveloped  agricultural  re- 
sources that  Japan  must  look  for  increased  exports  and 
greater  commercial  prosperity,  but  there  is  nothing  to 
lead  us  to  suppose  that  she  will  soon  become  a wealthy 
nation. 

This  brief  review  of  some  of  the  most  important 
elements  of  the  progress  of  the  Japanese  Empire  neces- 
sarily omits  much  which,  as  stated  in  the  reports  of  the 
heads  of  departments  of  the  Japanese  Government,  is 
fitted  to  excite  both  surprise  and  admiration.  T have 
endeavoured  to  avoid  indiscriminate  laudation  on  the 
one  side,  and  unreasonable  blame  on  the  other.  Japan 
has  done  much;  but  though  she  has  done  many  things 
well  and  wisely,  much  is  still  undone.  Some  reforms 
of  importance  have  been  left  untouched,  and  others 
have  been  undertaken  so  superficially,  that,  whUe  cer- 
tain places  present  a fair  outside,  little  improvement,  on 
the  whole,  in  those  special  directions,  has  been  effected. 
Reform,  not  only  in  the  laws,  but  in  the  administration 
of  them,  is  urgently  required.  The  army  needs  better 
discipline  and  better  officers,  if  it  is  to  be  a source  of 


356 


UNBEATEN  TBACKS  IN  JAPAN. 


strength,  and  not  of  weakness,  to  the  State.  The  Press 
laws  need  a thorough  reform,  and  the  obnoxious  restric- 
tions on  political  meetings  and  societies  which  came  into 
force  on  April  6, 1880,  need  to  be  rescinded  as  arbitrary 
and  unworthy  of  the  age.  According  to  the  Japanese 
newspapers,  “ the  whole  population  of  the  country  is 
actuated  by  one  burning  desire  for  representative  insti- 
tutions, and  the  longing,  for  constitutional  liberty  has 
pervaded  all  classes,”  and  this  demand  must  be  wisely 
met  in  fulfilment  of  the  pledges  given  by  the  Govern- 
ment of  the  Restoration ; while,  at  the  same  time,  the 
heimin,  or  commonalty,  numbering  thirty  millions,  must 
be  trained  to  the  exercise  of  political  responsibilities. 
An  improved  system  of  roads  needs  to  be  created  if 
the  resources  of  the  country  are  to  be  developed  into 
becW’ing  the  strain  of  taxation  without  undue  pressure 
on  the  cultivator.  Three  millions  of  children  of  school 
age  require  to  be  brought  under  instruction,  and  the 
standard  of  teaching  to  be  raised  throughout  all  the  ele- 
mentary schools.  Thoroughness  has  to  be  studied  in  all 
departments,  and  perseverance  to  be  steadily  requirea 
from  all  subordinate  officials. 

The  carrying  out  of  the  reforms  which  have  been 
already  begun,  the  placing  them  upon  a solid  basis,  the 
judicious  inauguration  of  new  ones,  the  wise  selection 
of  such  fiirther  fruits  of  western  civiKsation  as  may  bear 
transplantation  to  Japanese  soil,  the  courageous  aban- 
donment of  experiments  which  have  failed  from  their 
inherent  unsuitability  to  Japan,  the  resolute  pui’suit  of 
a pacific  foreign  policy,  the  exercise  of  a wise  discrim- 
ination between  true  and  false  progress,  and  the  perse- 
vering conservation  of  all  that  the  Empire  has  actually 
gained  during  the  last  ten  years,  are  sufficient  to  tax  the 
energy  and  sagacity  of  the  best  and  ablest  men  in 
Japan  for  many  years  to  come.  The  extraordinary 


CONCLUSION. 


357 


progress  which  the  Empire  has  made  justly  claims  oui 
admiration,  and,  judging  from  the  character  of  the  meu 
who  take  the  lead  in  public  affairs,  and  from  the  wis- 
dom and  sobriety  which  they  have  gained  by  ten  years 
of  experience,  we  may  reasonably  hope  for  the  consoli- 
dation of  reforms  already  inaugurated,  and  that  those 
which  are  to  come  will  be  faithfully  carried  out  with 
due  regard  for  the  interests  of  all  classes,  and  with  the 
honesty  and  solidity  which  alone  can  ensure  permanent 
success. 

Of  the  shadows  which  hang  upon  the  horizon  of 
Japan,  the  darkest,  to  my  thinking,  arises  from  the  fact 
that  she  is  making  the  attempt,  for  the  first  time  in 
history,  to  secure  the  fruits  of  Christianity  without 
transplanting  the  tree  from  which  they  spring.  The 
nation  is  sunk  in  immorality,  the  millstone  of  Oriental- 
ism hangs  round  her  neck  in  the  race  on  which  she 
has  started,  and  her  progress  is  political  and  intellectual 
rather  than  moral ; in  other  words,  as  regards  the  high- 
est destiny  of  man,  individually  or  collectively,  it  is  at 
present  a failure.  The  great  hope  for  her  is  that  she 
may  grasp  the  truth  and  purity  of  primitive  Christian- 
ity, as  taught  by  the  lips  and  life  of  otor  Lord  Jesus 
Clirist,  as  resolutely  as  she  has  grasped  our  arts  and 
sciences ; and  that,  in  the  reception  of  Christianity, 
with  its  true  principles  of  manliness  and  national  great- 
ness, she  may  become,  in  the  highest  sense,  “ The  Land 
af  the  Rising  Sun  ” and  the  light  of  Eastern  Asia. 


APPENDIX  A. 


ATXO  WORDS  TAKEN  DOWN  AT  BIBATORT  AND  U8U, 

YEZO. 


Above,  kaschke,  rekita. 
Afternoon,  to-keiski,  takes. 

Again,  ishu  kanna. 

All,  obitta. 

Already,  tone. 

And,  ka. 

Angry,  yarushUca. 

Arm,  amonine. 

Arrow,  eye. 

Bad,  ipocasch. 

Bark,  yara. 

Bear,  hokuyak,  peri. 

Beard,  ticksa,  reki. 

Before,  noschki. 

Below,  ranta. 

Beyond,  aya. 

Bird,  tskap. 

Blue,  matek. 

Boat,  chip. 

Bone,  pone. 

Bow,  ku. 

Boy  [small],  cuspo. 

Bright,  hekeri. 

Brother[elder],l,'iani-y«rt<.fcMfni&o. 

“ [younger],  kiaki-ni-guru. 
Brown,  una. 

Broad,  bira. 

Business,  ukosarange. 

Child  [male],  sikatch. 

“ [female],  makatch. 


Child  [my],  kttboho. 

“ [your],  iboho. 

Cloud,  nitchkuru,  nischi,  kuroro. 
Coat,  amip. 

Cold,  mi-une. 

“ [it  is],  meiragi. 

“ [very],  meiupki. 

Coming  down,  shan. 

Corpse,  rai  guru. 

Crippled,  takushuto. 

Dance,  ontori. 

Day,  W. 

“ [after  to-morrow],  oya-tschiun. 
“ [before  yesterday],  kosckenu- 
mani. 

“ [this],  tanto. 

Dawn,  ankes. 

Dead,  rai. 

Deep,  oho. 

Dew,  kuruppi,  kuru-^ppi. 
Dishonourable,  nanu^  ischamu 
(lit.  without  sight ). 

Dog,  set-ta. 

Ear,  kisara. 

Earth,  ischiri,  tui. 

Eclipse,  tschiipp-rai(the  sun  dies) 
Elbow,  hiloki. 

End,  itoki. 

Evening,  schiri-kunne  (the  earth 
is  black). 


369 


360 


APPENDIX. 


Every,  keshi. 

Eye,  shki. 

Eyebrow,  ranuma. 

Face,  namihu. 

Far  off,  torima. 

Father,  atspo.  hambi.  milch. 
Female,  matni. 

Fierce,  ninren. 

Finger,  askibits.  embi. 

Fire,  abe. 

Fish,  isep.  chi-ep. 

“ [smoked],  fumhi. 

Flea,  taiki. 

Flower,  ebni. 

Formerly,  fusiko. 

Fox,  turepp. 

From,  kara. 

Ghost,  kamoi-yashi. 

God,  kamoi. 

Go-down,  ptt. 

Good,  pirika. 

Good-bye,  saramba. 

Grandfather,  ikasi. 

Grass,  kina. 

Green,  shin-nin. 

Guest,  marubtUn. 

Hair,  noma.  alOpp. 

Hairy,  noma-tis. 

Hand,  teke,  take. 

Hateful,  kopande. 

Haughty,  uku-aino-buri-kum  (to 
take  the  form  of  an  Aino.) 
Hat,  tshesek.  sesik. 

Head,  saba.  chapu. 

Heart,  tschambi. 

Heavy,  pashi. 

High,  kuweri. 

Hill,  ken. 


House,  Ischesai.  rikop. 

“ [my],  ku-tschesai. 

Husband,  Aote.  tsckesaikoru.  kuru 
“ [your],  ihoku. 

“ [°iy]'  kuhoku. 

“ [without],  hoku-tsckoKu 

I,  tshoki. 

Ice,  konru. 

Infant,  hO. 

Insect,  kikiri. 

Kind,  yie-yi^kiri. 

Lake,  tan. 

Large,  poro. 

Lie,  shunge. 

Little,  obari. 

Living,  shitnu. 

Long,  tanne. 

Male,  binne. 

Man,  okkai.  lioku.  guru.  amo. 

“ [old],  onne. 

“ [that],  tanguru. 

“ [this],  W-anguru. 

“ [single],  okkai-po. 

Master  [of  a hut],  kayatono. 

Mat,  tsarubi. 

Men,  okkai-po-po. 

Midday,  tb-gap.  td-noschke. 
Middle,  noschke. 

Midnight,  an-noschke. 

Millet,  ie-sa-mam. 

Moon,  antsikara.  tschUpp-kunnt 
(night  sun). 

Mother,  liabo. 

Mountain,  nobori. 

“ [top],  tschiri-kilai. 
Mouth,  parof. 


APPENDIX. 


361 


Oar,  kadji. 

Old,  \ekaL 

Owl,  kamoi-tsikapp  (bird  of  the 
gods). 

People,  kuru. 

Poison,  tschuruku. 

Promontory,  itu. 

Rain,  apto.  toeni. 

Red,  kure. 

River,  bets. 

Road,  ru. 

Robber,  roku-guru  (a  robbing 
man). 

Roof,  cada.  tschisai-katai. 

Root,  shinrichi. 

Salt,  ischipo. 

Sea,  atui,  adOi. 

Shoulder,  tapsau. 

Short,  latne. 

Singing  praises  or  chants,  yairapp. 
Sister  [elder],  k’sabo. 

“ [younger],  matake,  ma-chi- 
ribi,  turesch. 

Skin  of  beast,  no-ma. 

Sky,  cando. 

Small,  pone. 

Smell,  ybra. 

Smoke,  shupuya. 

Snake,  tnkoni. 

“ [black],  paskuro-kamoi. 
(raven  god). 

Snow,  ubashi. 

Spring,  paikaru.  paika. 

Song,  ma. 

“ [for  several  voices],  o-ma. 
Stars,  notchiu. 

Storm,  poro-reira  {lit.  a great 
wind). 


Straw,  wattesu. 

Suddenly,  niscJiopp. 

Summer,  tsckaku. 

“ [end  of],  tschaku-kes 
Sun,  tscliCLpp. 

Sunset,  hiri-kunne. 

Sustenance,  aino-ikiri. 

Sweet,  pan. 

Teeth,  memoki. 

Temple,  kamoi-tsckisai. 

That,  tan. 

This,  Iambi,  lanni. 

Thing,  ambi. 

“ [living],  skitnu-and)i. 

“ [dead],  rai-no-ambi. 

“ [spread  on  floor],  ishokO' 
rambi. 

Throat,  letchi. 

Thunder,  kamoi-fumi. 

Time  [a  long],  okono. 

“ [short] , porano. 

To-day,  tando. 

Together,  tora. 

To-morrow,  ururu.  nischatta. 
Tongue,  parumbe. 

Tom,  perike. 

Uglt,  kai-guru-korats  (like  b 
corpse). 

Under,  shiragata. 

Valley,  nai.  metu. 

Very,  sliiri. 

Village,  kotan. 

Wall,  tomamu. 

War,  sara-kathai. 

Water,  waka. 

“ [hot],  oshai.  usai. 

“ [salt],  ruru-waka. 


362 


APPENDIX. 


Weather,  shukus. 

Which,  niwa. 

WTiite,  ritara.  tsaru. 

Wife,  matchi. 

Wind,  tera. 

Window,  puyara. 

Winter,  mala. 

With  difficulty,  rai-korats  (like 
dying). 

Within,  oshipL 
Without,  tschamu. 

\7olf,  holaiku.  ushi-kamoi  (the 
howling  god). 


To  ascend,  rikin. 

“ bathe,  shushi. 

“ be  angry,  rusckke. 

“ be  in  pain,  yunin. 

“ blow,  rui. 

“ bury,  iwakte. 

“ catch,  koyeki. 

“ die,  ri-orkai. 

“ drink,  iku. 

“ eat,  ehe. 

“ fight,  uraiki. 

“ forget,  oira. 

“ get  angry,  ainoseaek  (glow 
like  an  Aino). 

“ get  cold,  meandi. 

“ get  better,  toQsa. 

“ get  up,  a.schkai. 

“ give,  kore. 

“ go  up  a river,  petorasch. 

“ go  up  a mountain,  Mnnaisho. 


Woman,  menoko. 

“ [old],  pakko. 

Wood,  nitchkuni. 

Wrist,  dekutasch. 

Yeae,  ba. 

“ [next],  oya  ba. 

“ [this],  tan  ba. 
Yesterday,  numani.  numatieU 
You,  yarn. 

Young,  pe  are.  hekatsu. 


To  hear,  nu. 

“ kill,  raigi. 

“ like,  yeramasch. 

“ live,  kitoku. 

“ make,  karv. 

“ pound,  uta. 

“ return,  oshipi. 

“ root  up,  rishipi. 

“ rub,  nMrishiru. 

“ run,  hoyupp. 

“ run  away,  kira. 

“ scratch,  hiki. 

“ see,  nukara. 

“ seize,  kora. 

“ sing,  sakehan. 

“ sing  praises,  i-uko-yain^if 
“ speak,  iiaku. 

“ spring,  lerikL 
“ tell  lies,  iko-shiunnke. 

“ touch,  moi-moi. 


NtTMERALS. 


1.  schnape. 

2.  tupaisch. 
i.  lepaisch. 


4.  mepe. 

5.  aschkei. 

6.  u-an. 


APPENDIX. 


363 


7.  aruan. 

8.  topaishi. 

9.  schnapaishi. 

10.  wambi. 

11.  schnape  icashima  wambi. 

12.  tupaisch  icashima  wambi. 

And  so  on  up  to  twenty. 

20.  hols. 

21.  schnape  icashima  hots. 

And  so  on  up  to  thirty. 


30.  ito  hots. 

31.  schnape  icashima  ito  hots,  etc. 

40.  tu  hots. 

41.  schnape  icashima  tu  hots,  etc. 
50.  ele  hots,  etc. 

60.  le  hots,  etc. 

70.  wambi  icashima  ine  hots,  etc. 
80.  ine  hots,  etc. 

90.  wambi  aschkine  hots,  etc. 

100.  aschkine  hots  or  sneyik. 

In  pronouncing 
The  sound  rep- 


The  foregoing  words  are  spelt  phonetically, 
them  the  vowels  must  be  sounded  as  in  English, 
resented  by  the  letters  tsch  is  a very  peculiar  click. 


APPENDIX  B. 

NOTES  ON  SHINT6. 

Scholars  hesitate  to  decide  whether  Shinto  is  or  is  not  “a 
genuine  product  of  Japanese  soil.”  The  Japanese  call  their 
ancient  religion  kami  no  michi  (the  way  of  the  gods)  ; foreigners 
adopt  the  Chinese  form  of  the  same,  and  call  it  Shinto.  By 
Shinto  is  meant  the  primitive  religion  which  was  found  spread 
over  Japan  when  the  Buddhist  propagandists  arrived  in  the  sixth 
century,  and  which,  at  the  restoration  of  the  Mikado  to  full  tempo- 
ral power,  in  1868,  became  once  more  the  “ State  religion.”  By 
“Pure  Shinto”  is  meant  the  ancient  faith  as  distinguished  from 
that  mixture  of  it  with  Buddhism  and  Confucianism  which  is 
known  as  Riyobu  Shinto,  and  it  is  of  pure  Shinto  that  I present 
iny  readers  with  a few  notes,  in  order,  if  possible,  to  make  the 
religious  allusions  in  the  foregoing  letters  interesting  and  intelli 
gible.^ 

Japanese  cosmogony  and  mythology  are  one,  and  in  both  Japan 
is  the  Universe.  There  are  three  confused  mythical  periods,  dur- 

’ For  a sketch  of  the  History  of  Shintd  and  its  Revival,  the  reader  is  referred  to 
several  papers  of  profound  research  in  the  Transactions  of  the  Englisli  Asiatic  Society 
of  Japan  for  1874,  called  “ The  Revival  of  Pure  Shinto,”  by  Mr.  Ernest  Satow,  Japan- 
ese Secretary  to  H.  B.  M.’s  Legation  at  Tedo ; to  an  article  on  “ The  Mythology  and 
Religious  Worship  of  the  Ancient  Japanese,”  by  the  same  learned  writer,  in  the 
Wentminsler  Review  for  ,Tune  1878;  and  to  a paper  cailed  “ Shintoism,”  by  Mr.  Kem 
permau,  in  the  Transactions  of  the  German  .Isiatic  Society  of  Japan  for  1878. 


364 


APPENDIX. 


ing  which  the  islands  of  Japan  and  many  gods  were  called  into 
being.  The  third  of  these  begins  with  the  supremacy  of  Ainate- 
rasu,  the  Sun-Goddess,  the  great  divinity  of  the  Shinto  religion. 
This  “heaven-lighting”  divinity,  finding  that  Japan  was  disturbed 
by  the  unending  feuds  of  the  earthly  gods,  among  whom  Okuni- 
Qushi,  their  ruler,  could  not  keep  order,  despatched  Xinigi-no- 
Mikoto,  a heavenly  god,  to  Higa  in  Kiushiu,  and  compelled  Okun- 
inushi  to  resign  his  disorderly  rule  into  his  hands.  Since  then 
Okuninushi  has  ruled  over  the  invisible,  and  Ninigi  and  his  sue- 
eessors,  the  Mikados, 'over  the  visible.  The  gods  and  their  off- 
spring did  not,  however,  always  submit  quietly  to  the  new  author- 
ity, and  there  were  evident  struggles  for  supremacy  between  the 
earthly  and  heavenly  powers,  which  were  finally  brought  to  an  end 
in  660  B.c.  by  Jimmu  Tenno,  the  fifth  in  descent  from  the  Sun- 
Goddess,  who  overthrew  the  Kiushiu  rebels,  and  passing  over  into 
the  main  island,  subjugated  a large  portion  of  it,  and  settled  there 
with  his  warriors. 

AVhatever  the  actual  facts  may  be,  this  event  is  the  dawn  of 
Japanese  history,  and  the  starting-point  of  Japanese  chronology. 
The  7th  of  April  is  fixed  as  the  anniversary  of  Jimmu  Tenno's 
ascension  to  the  throne ; he  is  deified  and  worshipped  in  a thou- 
sand shrines,  and  from  him  the  present  Mikado  claims  direct 
descent.  The  dogma  of  “the  divine  right  of  kings”  in  his  case 
means  nothing  less  than  that  he  is  descended  from  the  great  Sun- 
Goddess  through  seven  generations  of  celestial,  five  of  terrestrial 
gods,  and  122  divine  Mikados,  who  have  preceded  him  ; and  the  three 
divine  insignia  of  power  — the  mirror,  the  sword,  and  the  stone  — 
have  descended  to  him  directly  from  his  ancestress,  whose  gifts 
they  were. 

According  to  Hirata,  a Shinto  revivalist  who  wrote  early  in 
this  century,  and  from  whose  writings  Mr.  Satow  has  made  many 
translations,  “ to  compel  obedience  from  human  beings,  and  to  love 
them,  was  all  the  sovereign  had  to  do,  and  there  was  no  necessity 
for  teaching  them  vain  doctrines,  such  as  are  preached  in  other 
countries.  Hence  the  art  of  government  is  called  Matsurigolo, 
which  literally  means  ‘ worshipping.’  Accordingly,  the  early 
sovereigns  woi'shipped  the  gods  in  person,  and  prayed  that  their 
people  might  enjoy  a sufficiency  of  food,  clothing,  and  shelter  from 
the  elements,  and  twice  a year,  in  the  sixth  and  twelfth  months, 
they  celebrated  the  festival  of  the  ‘ General  Purification  ’ ” [oh- 
gerved  to  the  present  day]  “by  which  the  whole  nation  was  purged 


APPENDIX. 


o65 


of  calamities,  offences,  and  pollutions.”  Ii.  «fie  beginning'  of  the 
thirteenth  century  the  reigning  Mikado  interpreted  the  directions 
of  his  divine  ancestors  by  ordering  that  “even  in  the  slightest 
matters  ” [certain  most  holy  things]  “ are  not  to  be  placed  after 
the  Emperor.”  “ As  it  is  the  duty  of  subjects  to  imitate  the  prac- 
tice of  the  incarnate  god  who  is  their  sovereign,  the  necessity  of 
worshipping  his  ancestors  and  the  gods  from  whom  they  spring  is  to 
be  enjoined  upon  every  man.”  As  to  these  gods,  it  was  declared, 
on  their  own  authority,  that  “ The  gods  who  do  harm  are  to  be 
appeased,  so  that  they  may  not  punish  those  who  have  offended 
them;  and  all  the  gods  are  to  be  worshipped,  so  that  they  may  be 
induced  to  increase  their  favours.” 

Thus  the  Shinto  religion  is  closely  interwoven  ■with  the  theory 
of  government.  The  Mikado’s  throne  is  founded  on  a religious 
fiction.  He  is  the  lineal  descendant  of  the  gods,  nay,  he  is  him- 
self a god,  and  in  virtue  of  his  godhead,  his  palace  is  a temple 
His  heavenly  origin  has  been,  through  all  historic  days,  the  foun 
dation  of  Japanese  government,  and  it  and  the  duty  of  obeying 
his  commands  without  questioning,  whether  they  are  right  or 
wrong,  are  the  highest  of  Shinto  dogmas. 

From  the  death  of  Jimmu  Tenno,  the  first  Mikado,  to  the  intro- 
duction of  Buddhism,  is  a period  (according  to  the  unreliable 
Japanese  chronology)  of  1236  years.  Between  97  and  30  n.c., 
Sujiu,  the  reigning  Mikado,  and  of  course  a demi-god,  appeared 
as  a reformer,  called  on  the  people  to  turn  their  minds  to  the  wor- 
ship of  the  gods,  performed  a symbolic  purification,  built  special 
shrines  for  the  worship  of  several  of  the  kami  or  gods,  removed 
the  mirror,  sword,  and  stone  from  the  palace  where  they  had 
hitherto  been  kept  to  a shrine  built  for  their  custody,  and  appointed 
his  daughter  their  priestess.  This  mirror  rested,  at  least  till  1871, 
in  the  shrines  of  Ise,  of  which  a description  is  given  near  the  end 
of  this  volume. 

In  the  middle  of  the  sixth  century,  as  is  supposed,  Buddliist 
missionaries  arrived  from  Korea,  and  proselytised  so  successfully 
in  high  quarters  that  a decree  was  issued  about  the  middle  of  the 
eighth  century,  ordering  the  erection  of  two  Buddhist  temples  and 
a seven-storied  pagoda  in  every  province.  The  long  and  complete 
supremacy  of  Buddhism  is  due,  however,  to  a master-stroke  of 
religious  j^olicy  achieved  by  a priest,  best  known  under  his  posthu- 
mous name  of  Kobo-daishi,  in  the  ninth  (century,  who,  in  order  to 
gain  and  retain  a hold  for  his  creed  over  the  mass  of  the  people, 


366 


APPENDIX. 


taught  that  the  Shinto  gods  were  but  Japanese  naanifestations  ol 
Buddha,  a dogma  which  reconciled  the  foreign  with  the  native 
religion,  and  gave  Buddhism  several  centuries  of  ascendency  over 
both  Shinto  and  Confucianism,  till  it  was  supplanted,  about  two 
hundred  years  ago,  in  the  intellects  of  the  educated,  by  the  Chinese 
philosophical  system  of  Choo  He,  which  in  its  turn  is  being  dis* 
placed  by  what  is  known  in  Japan  as  the  “ English  Philosophy,” 
represented  by  Mill,  Herbert  Spencer,  and  others.  At  the  Restora- 
tion of  the  Mikado  to  temporal  power,  in  1868,  Shinto  was  rein- 
stated as  the  State  religion,  owing  to  its  value  as  a political  engine, 
but  it  was  impossible  to  re-introduce  its  long  abandoned  usages 
alongside  of  Western  civilisation,  and  the  number  of  those  who 
honour  the  old  faith  in  its  purity  is  believed  to  be  very  small. 

The  Buddhaising  the  old  gods,  and  incorporating  the  ancient 
traditions  of  the  divine  ancestors  and  early  heroes  of  the  Japan- 
ese with  the  ethical  code  and  doctrinal  dogmas  of  Buddhism,  pro- 
duced a harmony  or  jumble  upon  which  the  reigning  ilikado, 
pleased  with  the  fusion,  bestowed  the  name  of  Riyobu  Shinto,  or 
“twofold  religious  doctrine.”  From  that  time  Shinto  and  Buddh- 
ist priests  frequently  celebrated  their  ceremonies  in  the  same 
temples,  the  distinctive  feature  of  Shinto,  the  absence  of  idols, 
effigies,  and  other  visible  objects  of  worship,  disappeared,  and  the 
temples  were  crowded  with  wooden  images  of  the  old  Shinto 
divinities,  alongside  of  those  of  Buddha  and  his  disciples,  only  a 
very  few  temples  in  a very  few  districts  retaining  the  simplicity 
of  the  ancient  faith.  Since  1868  the  images,  and  all  the  gaudy 
and  sensuous  paraphernalia  of  Buddhism,  have  been  swept  out  of 
a large  number  of  the  temples,  but  the  splendour  of  the  buildings 
still  remains,  as  at  Shiba  in  Yedo,  and  the  plain  wooden  structure, 
with  the  thatched  tenkroof  and  the  perfectly  bare  interior,  is  only 
seen  in  its  primitive  simplicity  in  the  “ Shrines  of  Ise  ” and  a few 
other  places.  In  the  eighteenth  century  an  attempt  was  made  by 
certain  scholarly  and  able  men  to  revive  “pure  Shinto,”  and  adapt 
it  to  those  cravings  of  humanity  which  Buddhism  had  partially 
met ; but  the  attempt  failed,  and  has  resulted  mainly  in  affording 
materials  for  the  researches  of  Mr.  Satow  and  other  foreign 
scholars. 

The  characteristics  of  “Pure  Shinto”  are  the  absence  of  an 
ethical  and  doctrinal  code,  of  idol-worship,  of  priestcraft,  and  of 
Miy  teachings  concerning  a future  state,  and  the  deification  of 
heroes,  emperors,  and  great  men,  together  with  the  worship  of  cer 


APPENDIX. 


367 


tain  forces  and  objects  in  nature.  It  is  said  that  the  kami  or  gods 
number  14,000,  of  whom  3700  are  known  to  have  shrines  ; but, 
practically,  the  number  is  infinite,  or  “eight  millions.”  Each 
hamlet  has  its  special  god,  as  well  as  each  miya  or  shrine ; and 
each  child  is  taken  to  the  shrine  of  the  district  in  which  it  is  born, 
a month  after  birth,  and  the  god  of  that  shrine  becomes  his  patron. 
Each  god  has  his  annual  festival,  while  many  have  particular  days 
in  each  month  on  which  people  visit  their  shrines. 

The  temples  are  of  unpainted  wood,  and  the  tent-like  roofs  are 
thickly  thatched.  They  are  destitute  of  idols,  effigies,  images, 
ornaments,  and  ecclesiastical  paraphernalia  of  any  kind.  In  the 
bare  shrines  of  this  truly  barren  creed  the  only  objects  are  a circu- 
lar steel  miiTor,  the  gohei,  small  ofPerings  of  sake,  rice,  and  other 
vegetable  food,  on  unlacquered  wooden  trays,  and  some  sprigs  of 
the  evergreen  Cleyera  japonica.  The  mirror  is  a copy  of  the  one 
given  by  the  Sun-Goddess,  as  an  emblem  of  herself,  to  Ninigi, 
when  she  sent  him  down  to  govern  the  world;  but  even  this  is 
only  exposed  to  view  in  temples  in  which  Shinto  has  been  at 
some  time  jumbled  up  with  Buddhism.  A plain  gohei  is  a slim 
wand  of  un  painted  wood,  with  two  long  pieces  of  paper,  notched 
alternately  on  opposite  sides,  hanging  from  it.  In  some  shrines 
which  were  long  in  Buddhist  hands,  such  as  that  of  lyeyasu  at 
Nikko,  gilded  metal  takes  the  place  of  paper.  The  gohei  represent 
offerings  of  rough  and  white  cloth,  which  were  supposed  to  have 
the  effect  of  attracting  the  god  to  the  spot  where  they  were 
offered,  but  gradually  came  to  be  considered  as  the  gods  them- 
selves. In  idea  they  resemble  the  white  wands,  with  dependent 
shavings,  which  are  worshipped  by  the  Ainos  of  Yezo.  In  the 
pure  Shinto  temples,  which  do  not  even  display  the  mirror,  there 
is  a kind  of  receptacle  concealed  behind  the  closed  doors  of  the 
actual  shrine,  which  contains  a case  only  exposed  to  view  on 
the  day  of  the  annual  festival,  and  which  is  said  to  contain  the 
spirit  of  the  deity  to  whom  the  temple  is  dedicated,  the  “ august 
spirit  substitute,”  or  “ God’s  seed.” 

The  prominent  Shinto  emblem  of  purely  Japanese  origin,  the 
torii,  stands  at  the  entrance  of  temple  grounds,  in  front  of  shrines 
and  sacred  trees,  and  in  every  place  specially  associated  with  the 
native  kavn.  In  some  places,  as  at  the  great  Inari  or  Fox  temple 
at  Fushima,  near  Kiyoto,  there  are  avenues  composed  of  several 
hundred  of  these,  and,  whether  large  or  small,  the  torii  is  a favour- 
ite subject  for  an  ex  voto.  In  the  latter  case  it  is  frequently  ol 


368 


APPENDIX. 


stone.  The  torii  proper  consists  of  two  tree-trunks,  planted  in  th« 
ground,  on  the  top  of  which  rests  another  tree  with  projecting 
ends,  and  a horizontal  beam  below.  The  name  means  “bird’s 
rest,”  for  on  it  the  fouls  offered  but  not  sacrificed  to  the  gods  were 
accustomed  to  perch.  It  is  of  unpainted  wood,  properly,  but  large 
numbers  are  painted  bright  red.  The  Buddhists  have  cuiwed  the 
u])per  timber  and  have  added  other  oinaments.  In  the  persecution 
waged  against  the  Romish  Christians  of  Nagasaki  a few  years  ago, 
the  token  of  recantation  required  was  that  they  should  pass  under 
this  Shinto  emblem. 

The  remaining  Shinto  emblem  is  a rope  of  rice  straw,  varying 
in  thickness  from  the'heavy  cable  which  often  hangs  across  a torii 
or  temple  entrance,  to  the  rope  no  thicker  than  a finger  which 
hangs  across  house  doors,  or  surrounds  sacred  trees,  and  which  has 
straw  tassels  or  strips  of  white  paper  dangling  from  it. 

There  are  about  98,000  Shinto  temples  in  Japan,  but  this  num- 
ber includes  all  the  wayside  shrines  and  the  shrines  in  the  groves, 
which  are  about  five  feet  high.  There  are  about  20,000  Shinto 
officials,  including  the  whole  of  the  kannushi  or  “shrine  keepers,” 
and  these  may  all  be  described  as  officials  of  the  Government. 
Their  duties  are  few.  They  are  allowed  to  marry,  and  do  not 
shave  their  heads.  There  is  an  appropriation  of  about  £44,000 
annually  for  Shinto  shrines,  and  of  £14,000  for  Public  Worshir 
In  the  old  order  the  Department  which  dealt  with  the  affairs  of 
the  earthly  and  heavenly  gods  held  the  highest  place  in  the  order 
of  official  precedence ; but  so  out  of  harmony  was  it  with  the  new 
regime,  that  within  four  years  of  its  re-establishment  it  descended 
from  a dignity  superior  to  that  of  the  Council  of  State  into  a de- 
partment subordinate  thereto.  "Within  a year  the  department  for 
administering  the  affairs  of  the  celestial  and  terrestrial  gods  sank 
into  being  a Board  of  Religious  Instruction,  and  early  in  1877 
underwent  the  further  humiliation  of  being  quietly  transferred  to 
a sub-department  of  the  Ministry  of  the  Interior.  Thus,  in  less 
than  ten  years,  the  oldest  and  most  solemn  institution  in  the  State 
has  passed  out  of  existence,  and  it  is  difficult  to  understand  now 
the  dogma  of  the  divine  origin  and  relationships  of  the  Mikado, 
and  the  identification  of  politics  with  religion,  survive  the  change. 

The  claims  of  Shinto  to  be  regarded  as  a religion  are  very  few. 
It  has  no  worship,  properly  so  called,  and  no  sacrifices,  no  hell  oi 
purgatory  for  bad  men,  and  the  immortality  of  the  soul  is  only  as- 
sumed from  the  immortality  of  the  gods.  It  inculcates  reverencs 


APPENDIX. 


369 


for  ancestors,  and  imitation  of  their  worthy  deeds ; but  its  chiel 
feature  is  its  recognition  of  certain  ceremonial  defilements  and 
forms  of  purification. 

On  certain  occasions  the  priests  assemble  in  the  larger  temples 
and  chant  certain  words  to  an  excruciating  musical  accompani- 
ment ; but  this  is  in  no  sense  what  we  understand  by  public  wor- 
ship, and  the  worshippers  are  seldom  admitted  within  Sliintd 
temples.  The  gods  are  supposed  to  be  present  in  the  temples  dedi- 
cated to  them,  and  a worshipper  attracts  their  attention  by  pulling 
the  cord  of  a metal  globe,  half  bell,  half  rattle,  which  hangs  at 
the  open  entrance.  There  are  specified  forms  of  prayer,  but  wor- 
ship usually  consists  merely  in  clapping  the  hands  twice,  and  mak- 
ing one  or  more  genuflexions ; and  persons  undertake  pilgrimages 
of  several  hundred  miles  to  do  no  more  than  this,  with  the  addition 
of  casting  a few  copper  coins  on  the  temple  floor,  and  buying  a 
charm  or  relic. 

The  festival  days  of  the  gods  of  the  larger  temples  are  cele- 
brated by  music,  dancing,  and  processions,  in  which  highly  deco- 
rated cars  take  part,  on  and  in  which  are  borne  certain  sacred 
emblems,  usually  kept  in  the  storehouses  of  the  temples.  On 
these  occasions  ancient  classical  dances  or  posturings  are  given  on 
covered  platforms  within  the  temple  grounds,  and  in  these  a 
maiden  appears,  dressed  in  white  and  bearing  a gohei  in  her  hand, 
who  is  popularly  called  a priestess.  The  history  and  meaning  of 
nearly  all  the  ceremonies  are  unknown  to  the  modern  Japanese. 

Certain  ceremonies  are  usually  attended  to  even  by  the  most 
careless.  In  nearly  all  Japanese  houses  there  is  a kami-dana  or 
god-shelf,  on  which  is  a miniature  temple  in  wood,  which  contains 
tablets  covered  with  paper,  on  which  are  written  the  names  of  the 
gods  in  which  the  household  place  their  trust,  and  monumental 
tablets  with  the  posthumous  names  of  the  ancestors  and  deceased 
members  of  the  family.  Fresh  flowers,  and  specially  the  leafy 
twigs  of  the  Cleyera  Japonica,  are  offered  there,  together  with  sake, 
water,  and  the  first  portion  of  the  rice  boiled  for  the  food  of  the 
household.  At  night  a lamp  is  lit  in  front  of  the  shrine,  as  on 
the  god-shelf  of  the  Buddhists,  and  the  glow-worm  glimmer  of 
these  lamps  is  one  of  the  evening  features  of  the  cities  of  Japan. 

Shinto  is  the  easiest  and  least  exacting  of  religions.  The  in- 
tervention of  a priest  is  not  ordinarily  needed,  for  there  are  no 
angry  deities  to  propitiate,  or  any  terrors  of  hell  to  avert,  and  both 
sexes  are  capable  of  offering  prayers.  Of  such  there  are  many, 


370 


APPENDIX. 


and  so  lately  as  1873  a new  edition  of  certain  form?  was  pub- 
lished ; but  among  the  peasantry  it  seems  sufficient  to  frame  a wish 
without  uttering  it,  and  most  Shintoists,  in  Northern  Japan,  at 
least,  content  themselves  with  turning  to  the  sun  in  the  early 
morning,  rubbing  the  hands  slowly  together,  and  bowing.  Thera 
are  gods  of  all  things;  of  wisdom,  happiness,  protection  of  human 
abodes,  of  harvest,  of  learning,  of  the  gate  and  front  court,  of  the 
well,  the  kitchen  fireplace,  and  everything  else  to  which  supersti- 
tions of  unknown  origin  are  attached  by  the  ignorant.  The  direc- 
tions for  prayer  are,  “ Rising  early  in  the  morning,  wash  your  face 
and  hands,  rinse  out  the  mouth,  and  cleanse  the  body.  Then 
turn  to  the  province  of  Yamato,  strike  the  palms  of  the  hands  to- 
gether, and  worship,”  i.e.  bow  to  the  ground.  The  following  is  a 
specimen  of  one  of  the  most  enlightened  of  the  old  Shinto  prayers, 
translated  by  Mr.  Satow,  from  a book  called  Kimpi  Mislw,  put  for- 
ward by  the  Mikado  Juntoku  in  the  first  half  of  the  thirteenth 
century ; — 

“ From  a distance  I reverently  worship  with  awe  before  Ame  no 
Mi-hashira,  and  Kuni  no  Mi-hashira  (the  god  and  goddess  of 
wind),  to  whom  is  consecrated  the  palace  built  with  stout  pillars 
at  Tatsuta  no  Tachinu,  in  the  department  of  Heguri,  in  the  prov- 
ince of  Yamato.  I say  with  awe.  Deign  to  bless  me  by  correcting 
the  unwitting  faults  which,  seen  and  heard  by  you,  I have  com- 
mitted, by  blowing  off  and  clearing  away  the  calamities  w hich  evil 
gods  might  inflict,  by  causing  me  to  live  long  like  the  hard  and 
lasting  rock,  and  by  repeating  to  the  gods  of  heavenly  origin,  and 
the  gods  of  earthly  origin,  the  petitions  which  I present  every  day 
along  with  your  breath,  that  they  may  hear  with  the  sharp- 
earedness  of  the  forth-galloping  colt.”  .iVnother  addressed  to  the 
kami-dana  is  as  follows,  “ Reverently  adoring  the  great  god  of  the 
two  palaces  of  Ise  in  tko  first  place,  the  eight  hundred  myriads  of 
celestial  gods,  the  eight  hundred  myriads  of  terrestrial  gods,  aU 
the  fifteen  hundred  myriads  ” (these  numbers  are  figurative  ex- 
pressions) “ of  gods  to  whom  are  consecrated  the  great  and  small 
temples  in  all  provinces,  all  islands,  and  all  places  of  the  great 
Land  of  Eight  Islands,  the  fifteen  hundreds  of  myriads  of  gods 
which  they  cause  to  serve  them,  and  the  gods  of  branch  palaces 
and  branch  temples,  and  Sohodo  no  Kami  ” [the  scare-crow], 
“ whom  I have  invited  to  the  shrine  set  up  on  this  divine  shelf, 
and  to  whom  I offer  praises  day  by  day  — I pray  with  awe  that 
tiiey  will  deign  to  correct  the  unwitting  faults  which,  heard  and 


APPENDIX. 


371 


seen  by  them,  I have  committed,  and  blessing  and  favouring  me 
according  to  the  powers  which  they  severally  wield,  will  cause  me 
to  follow  the  divine  example,  and  to  perform  good  works  in  the 
Way.” 

As  a religion  Shinto  is  nearly  extinct,  and,  as  an  engine  of 
government,  its  power  is  undoubtedly  on  the  wane.  Western 
science  is  upsetting  its  cosmogony.  Western  philosophy  its  mythol 
ogy,  and  its  lack  of  an  ethical  code  makes  it  powerless  even 
among  a people  of  such  easy  morals  as  the  Japanese.  Motoori, 
its  modern  exponent  and  revivalist,  emphatically  states  that  the 
Chinese  invented  morals  because  they  were  an  immoral  people, 
but  that  in  Japan  there  was  no  such  necessity.  “ To  have  ac- 
quired the  knowledge  that  there  is  no  michi  [ethics]  to  be  prac- 
tised and  learned  is  really  to  have  learned  to  practice  the  way  of 
the  gods.”  Mr.  Mori,  the  present  minister  to  England,  gives  it  as 
his  opinion  that  “ the  leading  idea  of  ShintS  is  a reverential  feel- 
ing towards  the  dead.  As  to  the  political  use  of  it,  the  State  is 
quite  right  in  turning  it  to  account  in  support  of  the  absolute  Gov- 
ernment which  exists  in  Japan.”  Sir  H.  S.  Parkes  says  of  it, 
“Japanese,  in  general,  are  at  a loss  to  describe  what  Shinto  is. 
. . . Infallibility  on  the  part  of  the  head  of  the  State,  which 
was  naturally  attributed  to  rulers  claiming  divine  descent,  was  a 
convenient  doctrine  for  political  purposes  in  China  and  Japan.” 
Mr.  Von  Brandt,  a student  of  Japanese  archaeology,  lately  German 
Minister  to  Japan,  writes  of  it,  “ Little  is  known  of  Shinto  that 
might  give  it  the  character  of  a religion  as  understood  by  western 
nations.”  Kaempfer,  one  of  the  most  painstaking  and  accurate 
observers,  writes  thus : — “ The  whole  Shinto  religion  is  so  mean 
and  simple  that,  besides  a heap  of  fabulous  and  romantic  stories  of 
their  gods,  demi-gods,  and  heroes,  inconsistent  with  reason  and 
common  sense,  their  divines  have  nothing  either  in  their  sacred 
books,  or  by  tradition,  wherewithal  to  satisfy  the  inquiries  of 
curious  persons  about  the  nature  and  essences  of  their  gods,  about 
their  power  and  government,  about  the  future  state  of  the  soul, 
and  such  other  essential  points  whereof  other  heathen  systems  are 
not  altogether  silent.”  Its  lack  of  a moral  code,  of  general  deft- 
niteness,  and  of  teachings  concerning  a future  state,  sufficiently 
explain  the  easy  conquest  which  Buddhism  made  of  nearly  the 
whole  nation,  and  the  ascendency  which  it  still  retains  over  the 
uneducated.  ShintS,  with  its  absence  of  a ritual,  of  doctrinal 
teaching,  of  sensuousness,  of  definite  objects  of  worship,  is  rather 


372 


APPENDIX 


a system  than  a religion.  It  is  hollow  and  empty;  it  has  literallj 
nothing  in  it  which  can  influence  men’s  lives ; it  appeals  to  no  in- 
stincts of  good  or  evil,  and  promises  no  definite  destiny;  and  all 
attempts  to  resuscitate  it,  either  as  a bulwark  against  Christianity, 
or  as  a substitute  for  Buddhism  (which  contaius  many  of  the 
elements  of  a religion,  and  much  to  gratify,  if  not  to  satisfy,  many 
of  the  cravings  of  human  nature),  must  necessarily  fail. 

These  notes  are  the  merest  outline  of  Shinto,  but  the  most 
elaborate  treatise  can  do  no  more  than  successfully  demonstrate 
its  utter  emptiness  of  all  that  to  our  ideas  constitutes  religion,  and 
excite  surprise  that  it  should  still  retain  any  place  among  a peo- 
ple so  intelligent  as- the  Japanese.  The  explanation  probably  lies 
in  the  fact  that  it  is  interwoven  with  that  reverence  for  ancestors 
which  is  so  marked  a feature  of  Chinese  and  Japanese  character, 
and  in  that  general  indifference  to  any  religion  which  pervades 
Japan,  making  its  people  content  with  this  most  shadowy  and 
barren  of  creeds,  which  neither  enjoins  duties  nor  demands  sacri- 
fices, nor  holds  out  terrors  of  “judgment  to  come.” 


APPENDIX. 


37b 


APPENDIX  0. 

TABLES  OP  THE  ESTIMATED  REVENUE  AND  EXPENDI 
TURE  FOR  THE  FINANCIAL  YEAR  1879-80.  [NOTE  - 
6 YEN  ARE  ABOUT  EQUAL  TO  £1  STERLING.] 


REVENUE. 


I.  — First  Species  of  Tax ; — 

Yen. 

Customs — Export  Duties  . . 895,113.000 

“ Import  “ . . 1,247,215.000 

" Miscellaneous  Receipts,  38,982.000 

Total 


Yen. 

2,181,310.000 


n.  — Second  Species  of  Tax : — 

Land  Tax  .... 
Mining  Tax  .... 
Tax  on  Salaries 

Tax  on  Produce  of  the  Hokkaido 
Total 


Yen. 

41,000,950.000 

11.537.000 

81.992.000 
363,971.000 

Yen. 

41,458,450.000 


in.  — Third  Species  of  Tax  : — 


Yen. 

Tax  on  Alcoholic  Liquors 

4,507,272.000 

Tax  on  Tobacco  .... 

348,674.000 

Stamps  on  Legal  Documents  . 

539,168.000 

Postage  Stamps  .... 

1,050,000.000 

Tax  on  Ruled  Paper  for  Petitions  . 

82,485.000 

Licenses  to  Attorneys  . 

9,500.000 

Ship  and  Boat  Tax 

138,357.000 

Vehicle  Tax  ..... 

270,348.000 

Tax  on  Companies 

500,000.000 

Shooting  Licenses  .... 

45,652.000 

Horse  and  Cattle  Dealers’  Licenses 

63,578.000 

Carry  forward  . 

7,555,034.000 

374 


APPENDIX. 


Revenue  — continued. 

Brought  forward  . . 7,555,034.000 

Tax  on  Weights  and  Measures  . 2,925.000 

Copyright  Fees  ....  3,409  000 

Passport  and  other  License  Fees  . 2, .570.000 

Druggists’  Licenses  . . . 79,131.000 


Total 


rV.  — Profits  of  Industrial  Works  : — 


Sado  and  Four  other  Mines  under 
the  control  of  the  Ministry  of 
Public  Works  .... 

Railways  under  the  control  of  the 
Ministry  of  Public  Works  . 

Akabane  and  Three  other  Work- 
shops under  the  control  of  the 
Ministry  of  Public  Works  . 

Shimmachi  Cotton  Mill  and  Two 
other  Places  under  the  control 
of  the  Ministry  of  the  Interior  . 

Mint  under  the  control  of  Minis- 
try of  Finance  .... 

Printing  Office  under  the  control 
of  the  Ministry  of  Finance 

Yokosuka  Shipbuilding  Yard  and 
Two  others  under  the  control  of 
the  Ministry  of  Marine 


Yen. 

218,960.000 

391,100.271 

32,265.603 

12,585.000 

506,000.000 

30,000.000 

4,028.840 


Total 


V.  — Receipts  from  Government 
Property  and  other  Miscellane- 
ous Receipts  : — Yen. 

Sale  of  Government  Property  . 497,586.970 

Rent  of  Government  Property  . 142,156.051 

Rent  of  Goveniment  Land  at  Open 

Cities  and  Ports  ....  72,817.150 

Miscellaneous  Receipts  . . . 1,647,745.709 

Total 


Yen. 

7,643, 069.00< 


Yen. 

1,194,939.711 


Yen. 

2,360.305.880 


APPENDIX. 


375 


Revenue  — continued. 


VI.  — Refunds : — 

Yen. 

Refund  of  Advances  . . . 532,360.577 

Refund  of  Loans  made  by  Impe- 
rial Princes  and  the  former  Han  200,350.285 
Refund  of  Estate-rated  Loan  . 80,593.578 

Yen. 

Total 813,304.440 


Grand  Total  of  Bevenue  , . 55,651,379.034 

£11,130,000 


EXPENDITURE. 

i,  — Redemption  of  National  Debt:  — 

Yen. 

Domestic  Debt  — 

Principal  . . 2,764,111.368 

Interest  . . 14,753,058.200 

Redemption  of  Pa- 
per Money  . . 2,000,000.000 

Yen. 

Total  . 19,518, 169.M8 


foreign  Debt  — 
Principal  . 
Interest 
Commission 

Total 


816,424.000 

857,318.400 

8,368.712 

Yen. 

. 1,682,111.112 


Fen. 


Total  of  both  Items  . . 21,200,280.680 


n.  — Civil  List  and  Appanages  of  the  Imperial 

Princes  .......  877,000.000 


376 


APPENDIX. 


Expenditure  — continued. 

fn.  — Peusions  for  Meritorious  Ser- 
vices, to  Shinto  and  Buddhist 
Priests,  etc.  — 


Retiring  Pensions  to  Soldiers  of  the 
Old  Imperial  Guards  and  Line  . 
Pensions  of  Shinto  and  Buddhist 

Priests  

Annuities  attached  to  the  order  of 

Merit 

Gratuities  to  the  Military  and  Cost 
of  Treatment  of  the  Wounded  . 
Grant  to  those  who  took  part  in  the 
Campaign  in  Kiushiu 

Total. 


Yen 

15,640.977 

125.281.000 

152.280.000 

266.202.000 

500,000.000 

Yen. 

1,059,403  973 


IV. — Council  of  State,  Ministries, 
Senate,  Colonisation,  Com- 
mission, and  Special  Bu- 


reaus ; — 

Yen. 

Council  of  State  . 

. 300,860.000 

Ministry  for  Foreign  Affairs  . 

. 170,960.000 

“ of  the  Interior 

. 1,275,500.000 

“ of  Finance 

. 1,505,300.000 

“ of  War  . 

. 7,190,100.000 

“ of  Marine 

. 2,636,300.000 

“ of  Public  Instruction 

. 1,139,970.000 

“ of  Public  Works 

. 591,300.000 

“ of  Justice 

. 1,314,800.000 

" of  the  Imperial  House- 

hold  . 

. 308,700.000 

Senate 

. 142,480.000 

Colonisation  Commission 

. 1,513,174.178 

Land-tax  Reform  Bureau 

97,000.000 

General  Post  Office. 

. 1,050,000.000 

Total 


Yen. 

19,236,4'44.178 


APPENDIX. 


377 


Expenditure  — continued. 

V.  — Cost  of  Establishing  Indostrial 
Undertakings : — 


Mines  at  Sado  and  Five  other 
places  under  control  of  the  Min- 
istry of  Public  Works 
Kiyoto  and  Kobe  Railway,  do. 

Telegraph,  do 

Workshops  at  Akabane  and  Four 
other  places,  do  . 

Shimosa  Sheep  Farm  and  Three 
other  places  under  control  of 
the  JMinistry  of  the  Interior 
Mint  under  the  control  of  the  Min- 
istry of  Finance .... 
Yokosuka  Shipbuilding  Yard  under 
control  of  the  Ministry  of  Ma- 
rine   


Yen. 

232.798.000 
33,300.000 

140,000.000 

165.502.000 


72,793.000 

50,000.000 


70,200.000 


Total 


\ri.  — Supplementary  Grants  of  Cap- 
ital for  carrying  on  Under- 
takings : — 


Kamaishi  Mine  under  the  control 
of  the  Ministry  of  Public  Worki; 

Telegraphs  under  do. 

Shinagawa  and  Fukagawa  Work- 
shops under  do. 

Shimosa  Sheep  Farm  and  One  other 
place  under  control  of  the  Minis- 
tiy  of  the  Interior 


Yen. 

29,355.792 

101,335.000 

28,842.000 


80,958.000 


Total  . 


Yll.  — Administrations  of  Cities  and 
Prefectures 


Yen. 

764.593.000 


Yen. 

240,490.792 


3.786,700.000 


378 


APPENDIX. 


Expenditure  — cmiinwd. 


Vm— Police:  — 

Yen. 

Central  Police  Bureau  (Tokiyo) 

1,316,820.400 

Police  in  2 Cities  and  35  Prefec- 

tures  . ... 

1,169,632.000 

Yen. 

Total  . . . . 

. , 

2,486,452.400 

Xi.  — Temples  of  the  Gods 

135,000.000 

X — Building,  Repairs,  and  Embank- 
ments in  Cities  and  Prefec- 

tures  : — 

Yen. 

Building  and  Repairs 

540,700.000 

Embankments  .... 

1,446,500.000 

Yen. 

Total  . . . . 

1,987,200  000 

XI.  — Diplomatic  and  Consular  Ser- 

vices  . . , . . 

. 

500,000.000 

XJI.  — Miscellaneous  Expenditure 

Fund  for  Relief  of  Agri- 

cultural  Distress  and  En- 

Yen. 

couragement  of  Saving 

1,200,000.000 

Erection  of  Museum  in  the  Public 

Garden  at  Uyeno,  under  control 

of  the  Ministry  of  the  Interior  . 

29,585.000 

Charges  for  repairs  of  the  Prisons 
and  Lockups  under  control  of  the 

Central  Police  Bureau 

90,.^ol.901 

Appropriation  for  the  Sydney  Exhi- 

bition 

29,817.300 

Erection  of  Barracks  at  Kanazawa 

36,253.960 

Erection  of  the  Imperial  Palace 

270,000.000 

Relief  to  the  (Hokkaido)  Militia  . 

26,407.146 

Domestic  Industrial  Exhibition 

43.890.000 

Miscellaneous  .... 

151,298.700 

Yen. 

Total 

. 

1,877,814.007 

XJJI.  — Contingent  Fimd 

1,500,000.000 

Grand  Total  of  Expenditure  Yen.  55,651,379.034 

“ £11,130,000 


Revenue  and  Expenditure  are  equally  balanced. 


APPENDIX. 


379 


NATIONAL  DEBT. 


Domestic  Debt  — Interest  Bearing  Debt  — Yen. 


New  Debt,  4 per  cent  interest 
Bonds  in  exchange  for  kinsatsu,  6 
per  cent  interest  .... 
Voluntarily  Capitalised  Pension 
Bonds,  8 per  cent 
Capitalised  Pension  Bonds — Yen. 


At  5 per  cent  do. 
At  6 per  cent  do. 
At  7 per  cent  do. 
At  10  per  cent  do. 

Total 


31,412.555 

25,001.590 

107,997.015 

8,876.370 


11,327.675 

1,923.700 

14,168.900 


173,287.530 


Bonds  for  Pensions  distributed  to  ex- 
Shinto  Priests,  at  8 per  cent  . . 423.325 

Public  Works  Loan  at  6 per  cent  . 12,500.000 

Loan  for  Suppression  of  Rebellion  at 
5 per  cent 15,000.000 


Total  . . . . 

Debt  bearing  no  Interest  . . . . 

Amount  of  Paper  Money  in  circulation 

Total  . . . 


Yen. 

228,631.130 

9,439.732 

113,427.992 


351,498.854 


880 


APPENDIX. 


APPENDIX  D.  — FOREIGN  TRADE. 

(I.)  — Synoptic  Table  of  the  Import  Trade  of  Jap.4m 


description  of  goods. 

' 1865. 

1867. 

1868. 

1869. 

1870. 

Yam  . ... 

$875,307 

$1,350,688 

$1,763,191 

$2,612,240 

$3,700377 

Shirtings 

2.028.361 

2,684.078 

1,724,854 

1.760,440 

1,730332 

Otlier  cotton  manufactures  . 
Mousseline  de  laine  (includ- 
ed in  other  woollens  up  to 

2,280,100 

1,713,539 

1,234,538 

878,343 

1343.644 

the  year  1874) 

Other  woollen  and  woollen 

• 

• 

- 

- 

- 

and  cotton  goods 

6,701,067 

3,184,471 

2,610,838 

2,010.553 

1395364 

Metals 

526,864 

209.171 

693,780 

632,255 

330,681 

Arms  and  ammunition  . 

1,066,822 

1.618,840 

2,730,651 

1357,625 

206,908 

Raw  cotton  .... 

1,159 

757,104 

783.084 

858,940 

771,144 

Sugar  

208,174 

1,660.654 

345,267 

1397.944 

2,482,293 

Rice 

• 

787.602 

1.315,705 

2,769,182 

12,755331 

Kerosene 

Government  goods.  (No  re- 

* 

• 

“ 

• 

turas  until  the  year  1873.) . 
Other  miscellaneous.  — For- 

■ 

" 

“ 

• 

elgn 

Other  mlscellaneons.  — East- 

347,.%3 

1,619,169 

1,491,043 

1,776,690 

3331,007 



41,121 

367,172 

307,420 

602,419 

2,083,460 

Total  .... 

$14,076,938 

$15,952,388 

$15,000,371 

$17,356,631 

$31.120341 

Total, 


Incomplete  Returns  — 

• Note.  — The  absence  of  Returns  for  1866  is  due  to  the  destniction  of  the 
Mousseline  de  laine.  — Returns  are  based  upon  the  custom-house  statistics; 
Metals.  — The  quantities  of  iSletals  imported  in  1873  and  following  years  on  account 
Giroemment  Goods.  — T\ie&Q  figures  are  exclusive  of  foreign  merchantpvessela 


(IT.)  — Synoptic  Table  of  the  Export  Trade  of  Japan 


DESCRIPTION  OF  GOODS. 

• 1865. 

1867. 

1868. 

1869. 

1870. 

Silk,  all  kinds,  and  cocoons  . 
Silkworms’  eggs  . 

Tea 

Copper  

Tobacco  

Wax  (vegetable)  . 

Camphor 

Coal 

Drial  fish 

Rice  . . . . 

Miscellaneous. 

$14,842,879 

727,445 

1,934,971 

12,334 

60,865 

32,706 

12,983 

95,485 

781,762 

$5,598,510 

2.302.572 

2,006,023 

61310 

33,140 

123,443 

97,293 

262,629 

300,:n5 

1,338,179 

$10,761,081 

4.199,138 

3,084,580 

18,475 

254.224 

114,489 

73,584 

193,689 

1,735,873 

$5,042,795 
2.723.500 
2.019,130 
124,735 
21.906 
9i>.420 
168,202 
101, biO 
183>41 

986.336 

$5,309,583 
3.473,1.50 
3348,231 
461  093 
d4,112 
64,190 
22'  .869 
159,117 
328.391 

1,176,490 

Total 

$18,491,430 

$12,123,674 

$20,435,133 

$11,475,645 

$15,143,246 

Total 

• Note*  — The  absence  of  Returns  for  1866  U due  to  the  deetructicKi 


APPENDIX. 


381 


APPENDIX  D.  — FOREIGN  TRADE. 


KOR  Thirteen  Years,  ending  December  31,  1878. 


1811. 

1872. 

1873. 

1874. 

1875. 

1876. 

1877. 

1878. 

$3,609,444 

3,439,450 

912,584 

$5,933,342 

2,2.56,926 

1,874,887 

$3,357,046 

3,365,898 

3,070,544 

$3,57.5„5.54 

3,706,628 

1.826,568 

$4,0,57,850 

2,616.723 

2,276,311 

$4,1,51,514 

2,997,59.5 

1,893,053 

$4,088,890 

2,312,929 

1,951,856 

$7,560,983 

2,548.621 

2,629,635 

- 

- 

- 

1,074,931 

2.3f)3.I57 

233.273 

2.373,621 

2,779,983 

2,0.56,789 

536,291 

293,120 

60,340 

3,308,549 

768,190 

7,572,180 

416,642 

83,617 

67,376 

2,266,880 

89,694 

7,304,307 

451,202 

577,645 

146,569 

2,108,855 

34,192 

323,374 

2,244,490 

1,131.185 

20.885 

1,1.52,066 

2,.579,406 

14,873 

292,646 

2.383,610 

1,043.3«2 

44.576 

363,66}f 

3.482,588 

5,579 

590,032 

2,011,843 
898,531 
51 .954 
724,011 
2,743,820 

455,702 

3.004,457 
1,592,052 
461 .720 
424.430 
2,872,148 

602,725 

3,013.675 

1,888.006 

296,878 

289,207 

3,073,282 

1,856,881 

- 

- 

797,395 

1,809,115 

3,475,277 

806,801 

670,537 

494,110 

2,398,433 

4,600,233 

5,332,115 

3,642,626 

4,441,537 

4,021,959 

4,698,436 

6,144,012 

312,415 

1,026,664 

574,226 

1,155,656 

999,903 

947,953 

846,722 

759,049 

$17,745,605 

$26,188,441 

$27,443,368 

$24,226,629 

$28,174,194 

$23,969,004 

$25,900,541 

$33,334,392 

300,489,143  doUare. 


custom-houpe  records  at  Kanagawa  by  fire  In  that  year. 

the  actual  importation  in  the  year  1874  and  succeeding  years  was  mnch  larger. 

of  the  Japanese  Government,  have  been  Included  under  the  head  of  “ Government  Goods.*' 

purchased  by  the  Japanese  Government 


FOR  Thirteen  Years,  ending  December  31,  1878. 


1871. 

1872. 

1873. 

1874. 

1875. 

1876. 

1877. 

1878. 

$8,457,839 

2,184,688 

4,651,292 

416,630 

269,359 

161,834 

138,.575 

483,130 

410,034 

2,011 ,424 

$8,189,143 

1,963,159 

5,445,438 

1,353,545 

669,340 

347,542 

1.52,879 

573,527 

324,000 

3,122,931 

2,153,026 

$7,7.50,015 

3,032,460 

4.398,711 

765.815 

274,529 

377,670 

71,026 

489,278 

716,399 

521,709 

2,263,382 

$5,894,567 

731,27'i 

7,792,244 

659,397 

259,687 

215,642 

119,812 

651,360 

901,583 

839,619 

2,299,399 

$5,992,913 

474.921 

6.915,692 

425,160 

201,148 

186,244 

136.073 

8.58,883 

663.639 

17,091 

2,046,081 

$14,306,4.50 

1,902.271 

5,427,218 

289,708 

83,496 

177,398 

182.477 

766,726 

922,580 

810,760 

2,710,767 

$10,320,308 
346,998 
4,409,320 
828,111 
229,288 
164,977 
240,065 
717,819 
835,660 
2,260, ‘'36 
2,513,226 

$9,223,875 

682,606 

4,412,457 

866,384 

107.547 

106,367 

309,972 

857.322 

1,031,355 

4,641,653 

4,019,881 

|$19,154,805 

$24,294,532 

$20,660,994 

$20,164,585 

$17,917,845 

$27,578,851 

$22,866,708 

$26,259419 

^,695,667 


of  tbe  ctutom-boase  records  at  Kanagawa  by  Are  in  tbat  year. 


382 


APPENDIX. 


(III.)  — Summary  of  Imports  and  Exports  for  Thirtee!* 
Years  ending  December  31,  1878. 


TsaK. 

Imports. 

Exports. 

Total. 

186.5 

$14,076,938 

$18,490,230 

$32567,168 

1867*  

15,952,388 

12.123.674 

28.076.062 

1868  

15,000,371 

20,435,133 

35.435504 

1869  

17.356.631 

11,475,645 

28.832.276 

1870  

31.120.641 

1»,143.246 

46,263587 

1871 

17,745,605 

19,184,805 

36.930.410 

1872  

26,188.441 

24,2J»4,532 

50.482,973 

1873  

27,443,368 

20,660,994 

48,104562 

1874  

24.226.629 

20,164,585 

44,391,214 

1875 

28,174,194 

17,917,845 

46.092,039 

1876  

23.9a9,004 

27,578,851 

51  ,.547.855 

1877  

25.900  ..541 

22,866,708 

48,767549 

1878  

33,3.34,392 

26,259,419 

595.93,811 

Total  . . . . . 

$300,489,143 

$256,595,667 

$557,084,810 

Average  aanoal  trade 

$83,117,549 

$19,738,128 

$42552,677 

• No  Betoras  fw  1866,  owing  to  destruction  of  Kanagawa  records. 


(IV.) — Return  of  British  and  Foreign  Shipping  entered 
at  all  Ports  of  Japan  for  Nineteen  Years. 


TsaiL 

BBITI0H. 

OTHER  FOREIGN 
COUNTRIES. 

TOTAIs. 

Ships. 

Tons. 

Ships. 

Tons. 

Ships. 

Tons. 

1860  

122 

45,279 

119 

43,103 

241 

88,382 

1861 

126 

52,347 

128 

47,776 

254 

100.123 

1862  

181 

57,362 

230 

71,678 

411 

129.040 

1863  

262 

87.000 

215 

71.356 

477 

1583156 

1864  

313 

118,907 

130 

44,235 

443 

163.142 

1865  

261 

in).649 

151 

67,223 

415 

166372 

1866  

254 

100.195 

188 

81.943 

442 

182,138 

1867  

348 

2.51 

159,154 

599 

298.160 

1868  

496 

192,185 

461 

389  A81 

957 

581,766 

1869  

410.105 

713 

659,293 

1.610 

1,069,398 

1870  

661 

319,471 

902 

841.704 

1,563 

1,161.175  1 

1871 

349 

166.929 

560 

734,241 

909 

901,170 

1872  

382 

204.077 

520 

756.427 

902 

960.434 

1873  

405 

234,4.59 

599 

804.948 

1,004 

1,039,407 

1874  

367 

237.432 

532 

732,510 

899 

969,942 

1875  

350 

252,146 

481 

699,377 

831 

951323 

1876  

356 

302.039 

345 

378,518 

701 

680,557 

1877  

403 

315,518 

343 

808,459 

746 

623377 

1878  

487 

417,691 

351 

331,181 

838 

749,529 

APPENDIX. 


383 


— Return  of  Foreign  Residents  and  F irjis  at  the 
Open  Ports  of  Japan,  for  Five  Years,  from  1874-78. 


Taut. 

BRITISH. 

OTHER FORBIOH 
GOCNTRIEB. 

CHINESE. 

TOTAL. 

Residents. 

Finns. 

Residents. 

Finns. 

3 

a 

ai 

2 

1 

Firms. 

Residents. 

Finns. 

1874  ..  . 

1,170 

l.M 

1,238 

215 

2,725 

95 

5.131 

465 

187S  . . . 

1,282 

109 

1,301 

148 

- 

• 

• 

. 

187*  . . . 

1.242 

80 

1,472 

U1 

. 

• 

. 

. 

isn  . . . 

1,186 

83 

1,336 

149 

2.107 

53 

4A99 

285 

vsn  . . . 

1.067 

»2 

1.410 

151 

3,028 

40 

5^ 

2.J 

mDEX. 


ABCKAWA. 


A 

Ajsukawa,  i.  340;  village  forge,  341. 

Abuta,  Aino  village,  ii.  138. 

Acupuncture,  i.  145. 

Adzuma  bridge,  i.  66. 

Agano  river,  i.  185. 

Aganokawa  river,  i.  247. 

Aido,  ii.  274. 

Aidzu  mountains,  i.  186;  plain,  191. 

Aino  storehouses,  ii.  37, 66;  houses, 
36,  54  ; plan  of,  90. 

Aino  words,  list  of,  ii.  359. 

Ainos,  the  hairy,  ii.  9-10,  .38  ; neat- 
ness of  their  villages,  53 ; hospi- 
tality, 54  ; reverence  for  age,  57  ; 
truthfulness,  58  ; children,  62,  80  ; 
honesty  and  generosity,  64  ; po- 
liteness, 69  ; no  history,  75  ; phy- 
sique, 75  ; a patriarch,  77  ; height, 
78  ; women,  78,  93  ; tattooing,  79  ; 
obedience,  81 ; clothing,  83  ; jew- 
ellery, 84  ; houses,  84-86  ; house- 
hold gods,  87  ; Japanese  curios, 
88 ; mats,  89  ; food,  90 ; hows 
and  arrows,  91  ; weaving,  93  ; re- 
ligion, 96  ; libations,  98  ; solitary 
act  of  sacrifice,  98  ; bear-worship, 
99 ; Festival  of  the  Bear,  100 ; 
ideas  of  a future  state,  101 ; social 
customs,  101 ; marriage  and  di- 
vorce, 102  ; amusements,  103 ; 
musical  instruments,  103  ; man- 
ners, 104  ; intoxication,  104  ; dirt, 
105  ; office  of  chief,  106  ; dread  of 
snakes,  107  ; of  death,  107  ; do- 
mestic life,  110. 

Ainos,  coast,  ii.  136,  1.37. 

Ainos,  Lebunge,  ii.  146. 

Akamatz,  the  “ English-speaking 
priest,”  ii.  243  ; his  appearance. 


BATH 

244  ; on  Nirvana,  247  ; the  objects 
of  the  Buddhist  faith,  248  ; trans- 
migration, 249  ; the  English  philo- 
sophy, 252. 

Akayu,  i.  266  ; horse-fair,  266  ; hot 
sulphur  springs,  268. 

Akita  farm-house,  i.  397. 
Alphabets,  or  syllabaries,  i.  325. 
Amainu,  or  heavenly  dogs,  i.  72. 
Andon,  the,  or  native  lamp,  i.  141. 
Aomori  Bay,  i.  402 ; town,  402 ; 

lacquer,  403. 

Aral  river,  i.  250. 

Arakai  river,  i.  174. 

Araya,  i.  308. 

Archery  galleries  at  Asakusa,  i. 
75. 

Architecture,  temple,  uniformity 
of,  i.  64. 

Area  of  Japan,  i.  4. 

Arima  village,  ii.  307. 

Army,  ii.  326. 

Arrow-traps,  ii.  92. 

Art,  Japanese,  modern,  ii.  264-258. 
Asakusa,  temple  of  Kwan-non  at, 
i.  64. 

Assama,  village  and  hill,  ii.  287. 
Assemblies,  provincial,  ii.  159. 
Automatic  rice-cleaner,  i.  162. 
Awoyama  hamlet,  ii.  274. 

Azaleas,  rose,  i.  127. 


B 

Bandaisan,  the  double-peaked,  i. 
186. 

Bange,  congress  of  schoolmasters 
i.  184. 

Barbarism  and  ignorance,  i.  IM. 
Barbers’  shops,  i.  147. 

Bargaining,  i.  146,  234. 

Bath,  the  hot,  i.  171. 


385 


386 


INDEX. 


BEAK. 

Bear,  Festival  ot  the,  ii.  99, 100. 
Beggary,  absence  of,  i.  256. 

Benri,  chief  of  the  Ainos.ii.  48,  74, 
106-109. 

Binzuru,  the  medicine  god,  i.  72. 
Biiatori,  ii.  54  ; wooden  temple,  or 
shrine  of  Yoshitsune,  72. 

Biwa,  lake,  ii.  262,  294 ; tea-house 
on,  295. 

Blind  men  in  Japan,  i.  346. 

Board  of  Industries  at  Kiyoto,  ii. 
258. 

Boats,  i.  349. 

Bon  festival  at  Hakodate,  ii.  24,  25. 
Books,  i.  228-230. 

Bronze  and  pottery,  ii.  256. 
Buddhism,  the  Protestants  of,  ii. 
242. 

Buddhist  service  at  Hakodate,  ii. 

16  ; sermon,  17-19. 

Burial,  Buddhist,  peculiarities  of, 
i.  157. 

Burial-grounds,  i.  157. 


C 

Calligraphy,  i.  136,  137. 
Camphor-groves  at  GekO,  ii.  289. 
Canoes,  ii.  153. 

Cemeteries  for  pack-horses,  i.  179. 
Charms,  i.  388,  389. 

Chayas,  or  tea-houses,  i.  87,  90. 
Cheating  a policeman,  i.  304,  305. 
Children,  Japanese,  i.  39. 
Children’s  parties,  i.  134  ; a juvenile 
belle,  134  ; games,  135. 

China,  blue,  i.  226. 

Chinamen  in  Yokohama,  i.  47  ; the 
Compradore,  48. 

Chiuzenjii  lake  and  village,  i.  125. 
Chokaisan  snow  mountain,  i.  278, 
297. 

Cholera  at  Niigata,  i.  211. 

Christian  converts,  i.  386. 
Christianity,  progress  of,  ii.  309-313. 
Churches,  missionary,  at  Yedo,  i. 
^34. 

Civilisation,  AVestern,  i.  9. 
Cleanliness,  want  of,  i.  167-172. 
Climate,  varieties  of,  i.  3,  33. 
Climate  of  Niigata,  i.  224. 

Clogs,  i.  29,  39. 

Coal-fields  in  Yezo,  ii.  2. 

Coinage,  ii.  330. 

Code,  penal,  ii.  332. 

Compradore,  the,  or  Chinese  facto- 
tum, i.  48. 

Coolies,  baggage,  i.  256,  257. 
Corrals,  Yezo,  ii.  1'26. 

Costumes,  i.  37  ; the  kimono,  38  ; 


FOOD. 

obi,  or  girdle,  38  ; haori,  or  short 
upper  garment,  38  ; hakama,  or 
trousers,  39  ; foot-clogs,  39  ; win- 
ter and  summer,  153. 

Cow,  riding  a,  i.  253. 

Cremation,  ii.  316  ; building  for  the 
purpose,  317  ; mode  of  burning, 
318. 

Criminal  Code,  ii.  332,  333. 

Crows,  ii.  151,  152. 

Cucumbers,  consumption  of,  i.  232, 
250. 

D 

Daikokct,  the  god  of  wealth,  i.  273. 

Daikon  (Raphanus  sativus),  univer- 
sal use  of,  i.  237. 

Daimiyd,  the,  ii.  321. 

Daiya  river,  i.  105,  124, 130. 

Dening,  Mr.,  his  missionary  zeal, 
ii.  158. 

Dirt  and  disease,  i.  169-172. 

Doctors,  Japanese,  i.  248. 

Dogs,  Japanese,  i 159;  yellow,  U. 
53. 

Dreams,  i.  394. 

E 

Earthquake,  shocks  of,  i.  119. 

Ecclesiastical  furniture  shops  at 
Niigata,  i.  227. 

Eclipse,  superstitions  about,  i.  394. 

Education,  ii.  336-340  ; when  there 
are  no  schools,  i.  351  ; female,  at 
Kobe,  ii.  224-226. 

Educational  system,  ii.  336. 

El€yanle,  a Japanese,  i.  81. 

Elm,  the,  its  ^rth,  i.  180. 

Emigration,  ii.  4. 

Expenditure  and  revenue,  ii.  348, 
373-379. 

F 

Farm-houses,  i.  396,  397. 

Fauna  of  Japan,  i.  6. 

Ferry,  a Japanese,  i.  174. 

Festival,  the  Tanabata,  at  Kuroi 
shi,  i.  381 ; of  the  Bear,  ii.  99-101 

Feudalism,  end  of,  ii.  322. 

Filature,  visit  to  a,  i.  277. 

Floods,  and  force  of  water,  i.  367, 
370. 

Flora  of  Japan,  i.  5. 

Floriculture,  Japanese,  i.  77. 

Flowers  of  Yezo,  ii.  41. 

“ Flowing  Invocation,”  the,  i.  260- 
262. 

Food  and  Cookery,  Japanese,  L 


INDEX. 


887 


FOOD. 

237;  fish,  237  ; game,  238;  vege- 
tables, 238;  the  daikon,  238;  fruit, 
239 ; sea-weod,  239 ; cakes  and 
confectionery,  240 ; cleanliness, 
241;  raw  fish,  soups,  242;  menus, 
243;  drinks,  244. 

Food  question,  the,  i.  63. 

Food  shops,  i.  232. 

Foreign  trade,  ii.  351-357. 

Foreigners  in  Japan,  i.  8;  in  Gov- 
ernment service,  10. 

Forgeries  of  European  eatables 
and  drinkables,  i.  276. 

“ Front  horse,”  a,  ii.  29,  43. 

Fujihara,  i.  158;  dirt  and  squalor, 
169. 

Fujisan,  fir.st  view  of,  i.  13;  in  the 
evening  light,  ii.  203;  from  a vil- 
lage on  the  Tokaido,  316. 

Fukiage,  or  Imperial  Gardens,  i.  36. 

Funeral,  Buddhist,  at  Eokugo,  i. 
297;  the  coffin,  or  box,  298;  pro- 
cession, 300. 

Fusumu,  or  sliding  paper  panels,  i. 
91-101. 

Futami-sama,  ii.  286 ; dreary  shrine 
of  pilgrimage,  286;  legend  of,  287, 
{note). 

Fyson,  Mr.,  Church  missionary,  i. 
202,  203;  result  of  three  years’ 
work,  204. 

G 

Games,  amusements,  i.  135, 138;  for 
children,  375. 

Gardens,  Japanese,  i.  223. 
eishas,  or  dancing  girls,  i.  100. 
ekfi  shrine,  the,  ii.  280  (see  Ise). 

Ghosts,  i.  390-392. 

Ginsainoma,  Yezo,  ii.  27. 

Ginseng,  the  Chinese,  i.  175  (see 
Ninjin.) 

Go-ban,  a Japanese  game,  ii.  33. 

Gods,  Aino  household,  ii.  87. 

Gohei,  a religious  symbol,  i.  112. 

Gongen  of  Nikko,  shrine  of  the,  i. 
125. 

Government,  the,  of  Japan,  ii.  324. 

Groves  and  high  places,  i.  178. 

Gmde-books,  Japanese,  i.  139. 

Gunchd,  the,  a local  official,  i.  286. 


H 

BIachiishi,  its  doll  street,  i.  105; 

shopping  in,  105. 

Hair-dressing,  i.  144. 

Hair-pins,  ornamental,  i.  226. 
Hakodate,  ii.  5;  trade,  6;  exter- 


IltrMICHI. 

nal  aspect,  12;  peculiar  roofs,  12; 
Buddhist  daily  service,  16;  hos- 
pital, 21;  prison,  22-24;  Bon  Fes- 
tival, 24;  English  church  at,  158; 
Junks,  164. 

Hakodate  harbour,  i.  404. 

Haruku,  Empress,  patroness  of 
higher  education  of  women,  ii. 
343. 

Hase-dera,  ii.  209;  temple  of  Kwan- 
non,  270. 

Hepburn,  Dr.,  i.  46. 

Hibachi,  the,  ii.  260. 

Hid^yoshi’s  summer  palace,  ii.  248 
Higenasha,  ii.  271. 

Hinokiyama  village,  i.  347. 

Hioga  Buddha,  a,  ii.  221. 

Hiogo,  medical  dispensary  at,  ii. 
306. 

Hirakawa  river,  i.  369;  destruction 
of  bridge,  370. 

Hiroshima  Maru,  maii  steamer,  ii. 
217. 

Home-life  in  Japan,  i.  138. 
Homogeneity  of  the  country,  i.  360; 

home  occupations,  360. 

Honoki,  pass  of,  i.  255. 

Hornets,  i.  280. 

Horobets,  ii.  36-126. 

Horse-ants,  i.  280. 

Horse-breaking,  Japanese,  ii.  123, 
140. 

Horses,  treatment  of,  i.  322;  in 
Yezo,  ii.  29;  drove  of,  41. 
Hospital  at  Nakajo,  i.  207. 
House-masters,  harassed  interests, 
i.  358. 

Hozawa  village,  i.  192. 


I 

Ichikawa  pass,  i.  176;  villages,  177; 

waterfall,  177. 

Ichinono  hamlet,  i.  257. 

Idols,  i.  388. 

Ikari,  i.  165. 

Ikarigaseki,  detention  at,  i.  369-379; 
occupation,  372;  kite-flying,  374; 
games,  375. 

Ikinagi,  medical  dispensary  at,  ii 
306. 

Imaichi,  i.  104. 

Inari,  or  fox  temple  at  Asakusa,  i. 

74;  of  Fushima,  ii.  261. 

Infant  prodigy,  an,  i.  324. 
Iniwashiro  lake,  i.  180. 

Innai,  i.  289;  upper  and  lower,  291. 
Insect  pests  at  Niigata,  i.  218. 
Irimichi,  i.  132;  village  school,  132. 
133. 


388 


INDEX. 


IP.ONCLAD. 

Ironolad,  Japanese,  ii.  162. 

ISE,  shrines  of.  ii.  278;  the  o-hnrai, 
or  ticket,  279;  the  Gekh  shrine, 
280;  camphor  groves,  280;  enclo- 
sures, 281,  282;  Holy  of  holies, 
283;  origin  of  the  mirror,  283. 

Isshinden,  ii.  292;  temple  gateway 
at,  293. 

I'fo,  first  impressions,  i.  51,  52;  tak- 
ing a “squeeze,”  129;  cleverness 
and  intelligence,  159;  particular- 
ly described,  318;  excellent  mem.- 
ory,  319;  an  apt  pupil,  320,  .321; 
delinquency,  ii.  20;  parting,  165. 

Itosawa,  i.  168. 

Itoyasan  precipices,  i.  186. 

Iwakisan  plain,  i.  .387. 

ly^mitsu,  temple  of,  at  Nikko,  i. 
117. 

lyeyasu’s  tomb  at  Nikko,  i.  116. 

J 

JiN-Bi-Ki-SHAS,  i.  18  (see  Kuruma). 

K 

Kaitakushi,  or  Development  De- 
partment, ii.  3 (see  Yezo). 

Kajikawa  river,  i.  247. 

Kak’ke,  a Japanese  disease,  i.  291. 

Kakemonos,  wall-pictures,  i.  101, 
108. 

Kamidana,  the,  or  god-shelf,  i.  140. 

Kaminoyama,  i.  269;  hot  springs, 
269;  the  Belle  of,  270;  kura  or 
godown,  271,  272. 

Kanaya’s  house,  i.  107 ; floral  deco- 
ration, 108;  table  equipments, 
109. 

Kanayama,  i.  280. 

Kasukabe,  i.  92;  the  yadoya,  92; 
lack  of  privacy,  94;  a night 
alarm,  95. 

Katakado  hamlet,  i.  186. 

Kawaguchi  village,  i.  250;  old  vil- 
lage, 353. 

Kayashima,  i.  168;  dirt  and  dis- 
comfort, 168;  a diseased  crowd, 
169. 

Kegon-no-taki  fall,  the,  i.  130. 

Keiki,  the  last  Shogun,  ii.  322. 

Kenrei,  or  provincial  governor,  i. 
220,  287. 

Kimono,  the,  or  gown  for  both  sex- 
es, i.  37-39. 

Kinugawa  river,  i.  156,  159, 163. 

Kiriishi  hamlet,  i.  348. 

Kisagoi  hamlet,  i.  154. 

Kisaki,  i.  247. 


KWAN-NOH. 

Kite-competition,  i.  374. 

Kitsugawa  river,  ii.  273. 

Kiyoto,  ii.  229;  American  Mission 
School  for  girls,  231;  the  College, 
232-236;  Mr.  Davis,  233;  converts, 
236;  shopping,  254;  art-objects, 
255;  Nishigin  silk-weavers,  257; 
Board  of  Industries,  258;  female 
industrial  schools,  258;  hospital, 
258. 

Kobe,  ii.  217;  a mission  centre,  219; 
model  settlement,  220;  Girls’ 
Home,  222,  223;  female  educa- 
tion, 222-226;  Oriental  courtesies, 
226. 

Koch  6,  the,  or  chief  man  of  the  vil- 
lage, i.  283,  286,  289. 

Kohiaku,  mountain  farm,  i.  152. 

Komatsu,  i.  262;  good  accommoda- 
tion, 2()3;  silk  and  silk-culture, 
264,  265. 

Komono-taki  volcano,  ii.  27, 154. 

Kompira,  the  god,  to  whom  men’s 
top-knots  are  offered  as  vows  of 
temperance,  ii.  295. 

Kotatsu,  the,  ii.  261. 

Kotsunagi,  i.  350. 

Kubota,  i.  307;  brisk  trade,  308; 
hospital,  309-312;  Normal  School, 
313;  silk-factory,  315;  police  es- 
cort, 315;  ruined  castle,  316;  in- 
creasing study  of  law,  317;  af- 
ternoon visitors,  323 ; an  infant 
prodigy,  324;  Japanese  wedding, 
325-331. 

Knyi,  the,  ii.  321. 

Kuroishi,  i.  380;  festival  at,  381; 
position,  387. 

Kurokawa,  matsuri  at,  i.  249. 

Kurosawa,  poverty  and  dulness, 
251 ; dirt  and  barbarism,  252. 

Knmma,  the,  or  jin-ri-ki-sha,  i.  18, 
19. 

Kumma-runners,  costume  of,  i.  85; 
sketch  of,  ii.  266. 

Kurumatoge,  i.  167 ; inn  on  the  liill, 
187 ; hostess,  188. 

Kurumatoge  pass,  i.  191. 

Kushidagawa,  ii.  275. 

Kwan-non,  temple  of,  at  Asaknsa, 
i.  64;  legend  of  her  origin,  64 
(note);  perpetual  fair,  67 ; the  Ni-6, 
68;  votive  offerings,  69;  the  higi 
altar,  70;  prayers  and  pellets,  71 
Binzuru,  the  medicine  god,  72, 
Amainv,  or  heavenly  dogs,  72; 
stone  lanterns,  73;  Inari  or  fox 
temple,  74 ; the  yohei  and  the  torii, 
74;  revohdng  shrine,  74;  temple 
grounds,  archery  galleries,  76 


INDEX. 


389 


KWAN-NON. 

Kwan-non,  temple  of,  at  Hase-dera, 
ii.  270. 

L 

Lacquek,  coarse,  at  Niigata,  i. 
226.. 

Lacquer  tree,  the(7fA‘us  vernicifera), 
i.  180,  193. 

r^nd  Transport  Company,  or  Riku- 
unkaisha,  i.  149. 

Lanterns,  paper,  i.  230,  231;  stone, 
i.  73. 

Laws,  domestic,  ii.  334. 

Lebunge,  ii.  144;  its  isolation,  144; 
Ainos,  144. 

Lebungetoge  passes,  ii.  141 . 
Legation,  the  British,  at  Yedo,  i. 
29. 

Letters,  Japanese,  samples  of,  ii. 
165. 

Literature  for  women,  i.  228. 

Lotus  flower,  symbol  of  purity,  i. 
299;  ii.  247. 

M 

Magaeshi  hamlet,  i.  124. 

Mago,  the,  or  leader  of  a pack- 
horse,  i.  122,  155. 

Man-carts,  two-wheeled,  i.  23,  24, 
Marine,  mercantile,  ii.  330. 

Maro,  or  loin-cloth,  i.  89. 

Marriage,  a Japanese,  i.  325;  trous- 
seau and  furniture,  327 ; wedding 
ceremony,  328-331 ; code  of  morals 
for  women,  333-335. 

Matsuhara  village,  i.  260. 

Matsumse,  Yezo,  ii.  7. 
Matsu-no-gawa  river,  ii.  294. 

Matsuri  at  Minato,  i.  336;  cars,  338; 

antique  dances,  339. 

Matsusaka,  ii.  275. 

Medical  missionary  work,  i.  209; 
college,  ii.  340. 

Mikado,  the,  his  “Oath  of  Prog- 
ress,” ii.  324. 

Mikoshi,  or  sacred  car,  i.  68. 
Millet-mill  and  pestle,  ii.  65. 
Minato,  the  junk  port  of  Kubota,  i. 

■336;  matsuri  at,  336-340. 

Mints,  public,  in  Japan,  ii.  330. 
Mirror,  lady’s,  i.  385. 

Mirror,  the  Shinto,  ii.  283. 

“Missing  Link,”  the,  ii.  148. 
Missionaries  at  Niigata,  i.  202-204; 

Medical  Mission,  205-211. 

Miwa,  ii.  265. 

Miyegawa,  ii.  276. 

Miyojiutake  mountain,  i.  186. 
Mogami  river,  i.  278. 


NISHI-HON  GGWANJl. 

Mombets,  ii.  112;  agricultural  set 
tlement  of,  131. 

Money,  i.  20;  current,  150. 

Monto  sect,  the,  ii.  242  (see  Shin- 
shin). 

Morals,  code  of,  for  women,  Japan- 
ese, i.  332-335. 

Mori,  village,  ii.  32. 

Mori,  Mr.  Arenori,  ii.  207;  his  Jap- 
anese reception,  208-213. 

Morioka  village,  i.  341. 

Mororan,  ii.  34;  bay,  36. 

Mororan,  Old,  ii.  127. 

Mourning,  period  of,  i.  301. 

Mo.xa,  the,  i.  145. 

Mud-flats  of  Yedo,  i.  87,  88. 
Mushroom  culture,  ii.  273. 

Music,  Japanese,  ii.  212,  213. 
Musical  instruments,  ii.  214,  216. 


N 

Nagaoka  Government  hosnital,  i. 
207. 

Naiku  shrine,  the,  ii.  288. 

Nakajo,  Japanese  doctors,  i.  248; 
Buddhism,  249. 

Nakano,  Lower,  i.  398;  public  bath- 
houses, 399. 

Nakano,  Upper,  i.  398. 

Names,  female,  i.  135. 

Namioka,  i.  402. 

Nanai,  Yezo,  ii.  30. 

Nantaizan  mountains,  i.  104;  Shin- 
to shrine  on  summit,  125. 

Nara,  ii.  263;  treasury  of  antiqui- 
ties, 265. 

National  Debt  of  Japan,  ii.  347. 

Navy,  ii.  326. 

Needle-work,  i.  136. 

Neesima,  Mr.,  the  first  Christian 
pastor  in  Japan,  ii.  238;  his  trav- 
els, 239. 

Newspaper  press,  ii,  331. 

Nichiren  sect  of  Buddhists,  the-r 
form  of  invocation,  i.  362. 

Nikko,  its  beauties,  i.  Ill;  shrines 
of  the  Shoguns,  112;  the  Red 
Bridge,  113;  the  Yomei  Gate,  114; 
great  staircase,  116;  lye'yasu’s 
tomb,  116;  temples  of  lyemitsu, 
117;  theAi-o,  117;  wood-carving, 
120. 

Nikkosan  mountains,  the,  i.  151. 

Nini/iii,  cultivation  of,  i.  176,  176. 

Ni-d,  the,  at  Asakusa,  i.  68. 

Nirvana,  ii.  247. 

Nisiu-Honguwanji  temple,  the,  ii 
244;  the  high  altar,  MB;  Sakya 
muni,  246. 


890 


INDEX. 


NISHIGIN. 

Nishigin,  silk-weavers,  ii.  257. 

Nobara,  ii.  273;  mud,  274. 

Nojiri,  village,  i.  187. 

Nopkobets  river,  ii.  138. 

Nosoki,  Dr.,  i.  281;  lotion  and  feb- 
lifuge,  281;  old-fashioned  practi- 
tioner, 282;  at  dinner,  283. 

Nosoki  village,  i.  289. 

Nozawa  town,  i.  186. 

Niigata,  a Treaty  Port,  i.  202;  mis- 
sionaries, 202;  Temple  Street, 
212;  interior  of  a temple,  212; 
Buddhist  priests,  213;  absence  of 
foreign  trade,  218;  insect  pests, 
218;  population,  219;  hospital, 
schools,  220;  cleanliness,  221; 
water-ways,  221;  houses,  222; 
gardens,  223;  climate,  224;  shops, 
225-233;  books,  228-230;  paper, 
230;  lanterns,  230;  food-shops, 
232;  quack  medicines,  232;  bar- 
gaining, 234;  impositions,  235. 

Numa  hamlet,  i.  252;  crowded 
dwellings,  25^ 


O 

Obanasawa,  i.  278. 

Odate,  i.  353;  nocturnal  disturb- 
ances, 354;  trade,  355. 

Okawa,  stream,  i.  164. 

Okimi,  i.  253. 

Omagori,  manufacture  of  large 
earthenware  jars  for  interment,  i. 
298. 

Omono  river,  i.  289,  297,  307. 

Ono,  ii.  14;  disorderly  audience, 
14. 

ri  pass,  i.  253. 

saka,  water-ways  and  bridges,  ii. 
302;  domestic  life,  303;  ladies’ 
pets,  304;  position  of  women, 
304 ; Medical  Mission,  305. 
Oshamambe',  ii.  149. 

Osharu  river,  ii.  132. 

Otsu,  ii.  292;  matsuH  of  the  god 
Shinomiya,  296. 

Ouchi  hamlet,  i.  176. 

Oyake  lake,  i.  176. 


P 

Pack-cows,  i.  253,  258. 

Pack-horse  and  saddle,  i.  122,  123; 

a vicious,  266,  294. 

Packet-boat,  “ running  the  rapids  ” 
of  Tsugavva,  i.  196-198. 

Palm,  Dr.,  medical  missionary,  i. 
202,  206;  Government  hospital  at 


BAMUBAJ. 

Nakajo,  207  ; the  Niigata  dispen 
sary,  208;  increase  of  medicaj 
missionary  work,  209;  his  tan- 
dem, 248. 

Paper,  manufactured  from  the 
Broussonettia  paptyrifera,  i.  182, 
183;  various  uses,  182. 

Parental  love,  i.  143. 

Passports,  i.  8,  84. 

Peasant  costume,  i.  98. 

Pellets  and  prayers,  i.  71. 

Pipichari,  the  Aino,  ii.  68. 

Police  force,  the  Japanese,  ii.  326. 
Population  of  Japan,  i.  7. 

Postal  progress,  ii.  327. 

Proverbs,  popular,  i.  376,  377. 
Punishments,  ii.  333-335. 


Q 

Quack  medicines,  i.  233, 


R 

Railboad  development,  ii.  328. 

Rain-cloak,  straw,  i.  346. 

Reiheishi-kaido  road,  an  “ In  me- 
moriam  ” avenue,  i.  103. 

Religion  in  Japan,  i.  8,  192. 

Religious  edifices  and  symbols, 
neglect  of,  i.  179. 

Restaurant,  portable,  i.  17. 

Revenue  of  Japan,  ii.  339,  373-379. 

Rhus  succedanea,  the  vegetable  wax- 
tree,  i.  193. 

Rhus  vemicifera,  the  lacquer-tree, 
i.  193. 

Rice  culture,  i.  87-89. 

Rokken,  ii.  275. 

Rukugo,  i.  297;  Buddhist  funeral, 
297-302;  temple,  303. 


S 

Saikaitama,  i.  192. 

Sakamoki  river,  i.  274;  bridge,  274, 
275. 

Sakatsu  pass,  i.  289. 

Sake,  the  national  drink,  i.  139, 
341;  brewing,  342,  343;  libationi 
of,  ii.  98. 

Sakuratoge  river,  i.  258. 

Salisburia  adiantifolia,  ii.  142, 147. 

Salmon  fishery  of  Yezo,  ii.  5. 

Sainisen,  the  national  female  instro 
ment,  i.  137. 

Sampans,  or  native  boats,  i.  16. 

Samurai,  the,  ii.  321. 


INDEX. 


391 


SAin>A. 

Sanda,  ii.  307 ; evening  gathering 
at,  308;  Christian  converts,  308. 

Sanno  pass,  i.  176. 

Sarafuto,  ii.  46. 

Sarufutogawa  river,  ii.  63,  65. 

Satow,  Mr.  Ernest,  Japanese  Secre- 
tary of  Legation,  i.  31 ; his  en- 
tertainment, ii.  209  ; amateur  or- 
chestra, 209;  juvenile  performer, 
211;  music,  212-214;  musical  in- 
struments, 214. 

Satsuporo  Agricultural  College,  ii. 
3;  town,  7. 

Savage  life  at  Biratori,  ii.  50,  74. 

School,  a village,  i.  132  ; punish- 
ments, 133;  amusements,  134. 

Schools,  male  and  female,  ii.  337  ; 
middle,  339;  normal,  341. 

Scramble,  a Yezo,  ii.  43. 

Servant,  engaging  a,  i.  49-62. 

Shampooing,  i.  346. 

Shiha,  the  shrines  of,  i.  46. 

Shinagawa,  or  Shinhashi,  i.  28. 

Shinano  river,  i.  219,  247. 

Shingoji,  i.  305;  rude  intrusion,  306; 
voyage  down  the  river,  307. 

Shinjo,  i.  278;  trade,  279;  discom- 
forts, 280. 

Shinbawa  river,  i.  247. 

Shinnomiya,  the  god,  matsuri  of, 
at  Otsu,  ii.  296  ; decorations,  297 ; 
shrine  of  the  fox-god,  298;  cars, 
298,  299. 

Shinshiu,  the,  or  Monto  sect,  ii. 
242 ; Akamatz,  the  priest,  ; 
temples,  244-246. 

Shione  pass,  i.  289. 

Shinto,  notes  on,  ii.  363. 

Shirakasawa,  mountain  village,  i. 
258  ; kindly  courtesies,  259. 

Shiraoi,  ii.  40,  115;  volcanic  phe- 
nomena, 117;  forest,  118;  lianas, 
120;  bear-trap,  121;  houses,  122. 

Shirasawa,  i.  356 ; eclipse  at,  364. 

Shiribetsan  mountain,  ii.  131. 

Shoji,  or  sliding  windows,  i.  94. 

Shopping  in  Kiyoto,  ii.  254. 

Shops,  native,  i.  142. 

Silk,  and  silk-culture,  i.  264,  265. 

Skin-diseases,  i.  144. 

Solitary  ride,  a,  ii.  27-30. 

Spiritualism,  i.  390. 

“ Squeeze,”  a,  i.  53,  129. 

Straw  shoes  for  horses,  i.  162. 

Suicide  more  frequent  in  women 
than  in  men,  i.  188. 

Sulphur  baths  at  Tamoto,  i.  127-129. 

Sumida  river,  i.  34,  66. 

Superstitions,  i.  38^95. 


tOkitO. 


T 

Taiheisan  mountain,  i.  308. 

Tajima,  i.  174. 

Takadayama  mountain,  i.  161. 

Takahara,  i.  162;  hot-springs,  163. 

Takata,  i.  181;  paper  manufacture, 
183. 

Tamagawa,  i.  253. 

Tarumai  volcano,  ii.  42;  ascent  to, 
116-118. 

Tatami,  or  house-mats,  i.  93. 

Taxation,  i.  287,  288. 

Tea-plant,  ii.  262;  tea-making,  263. 

Telegraph  department,  ii.  328. 

Temple,  interior  of  Buddhist,  i.  212; 
resemblance  between  Buddh- 
ist and  Roman  ritual,  214;  a pop- 
ular preacher,  216;  bronze  figure 
of  Buddha,  215;  Nirvana,  the 
greatest  good,  215 ; eternal  life, 
216. 

Tendo,  i.  278. 

Theatres,  i.  55;  the  ancient  drama, 
56;  modern,  66;  Japanese  play, 
68  ; the  Shintomi,  69  ; Morita’s 
opening  address,  61 ; moral  re- 
forms, 62;  a comic  pastoral,  63. 

Threshing,  varieties  in,  i.  98. 

Tobacco,  use  of,  at  first  forbidden, 
i.  284;  discussions  on,  285. 

Toohigo,  i.  99;  the  yadoya,  100. 

Tochiida,  i.  278. 

Togenoshita,  ii.  152, 153. 

Toilet,  a lady’s,  i.  383;  hair-dress- 
ing, 383 ; paint  and  cosmetics, 
384  ; mirror,  384. 

Tokaido,  the,  ii.  294. 

Tokiyo,  i.  26;  first  impressions,  28; 
the  British  Legation,  29;  street 
sights,  33  ; Foreign  Concession, 
or  Tsukiji,  33;  missionary 
churches,  34;  architectural  vul- 
garities, 34 ; Fukiage,  or  Imperial 
Gardens,  36 ; costumes,  37-40; 
courtesies,  behaviour,  40;  col- 
leges and  their  instructors,  42; 

■ afternoon  tea,  43;  shrines  of  Shi- 
ba,  44;  English  Church,  44;  thea- 
tre, 55;  a Japanese  play,  58;  the 
Shintomi  theatre,  59;  Kwan-non 
temple  of  Asakusa,  64;  a per- 
petual fair,  67;  Fox-temple,  74; 
archery  galleries,  75;  floriculture, 
77;  womankind,  79;  western  in- 
novations, 80;  tiotes on, ii.  171 ; its 
monotonous  meanness,  172;  situ- 
ation, 173;  climate,  173, 174;  popu- 
lation, 174;  castle,  175;  ramparts 
and  gates,  175;  official  quarter, 


392 


INDEX. 


TOMAKOMAI. 

17C;  tbe  Tashikis  or  Feudal  man- 
sions, 177-179  ; suburbs,  180  ; the 
Nipponbashi,  or  bridge  of  Japan, 
180;  commercial  activity,  181; 
canals,  181;  temples  and  shrines, 
181;  streets,  182;  signs,  184;  thea- 
tres, 185;  names  of  streets,  185- 
187;  cemeteries,  188;  cremation, 
189;  European  buildings,  189;  An- 
glo-American architecture,  191; 
Imperial  College  of  Engineering, 
192-195;  museums,  195;  telegraph 
building,  196;  foreign  residents, 
197 ; laljel-forgeries,  199  ; flower 
festas,  200,  201;  floral  curiosities, 
202;  costly  entertainments,  203, 
207;  university,  340. 

Tomakomai,  ii.  42. 

Tone  river,  i.  97. 

Toyoka  village,  i.  344. 

Trade,  foreign,  ii.  380-383. 

Transmigration,  belief  in,  ii.  349. 

Travelling  equipments,  i.  82;  pass- 
ports, 84. 

Tsu,  ii.  291;  two  streets  of  temples, 
292. 

Tsucliiyama,  ii.  294. 

Tsugawa,  i.  191;  yadoi/a,  19i;  town, 
1!)5;  packet-boat,  196. 

Tsuguriko',  i.  353. 

Tsuiji  village,  i.  248. 

Tsukiji,  the,  or  Foreign  Concession, 
i.  33. 

Tsukuno,  i.  268. 

Tsuzuka  pass,  ii.  293. 

Tubine,  i.  348. 

Tufa-cones,  ii.  117. 


U 

Udonosan  snow-fields,  i.  278. 

Dji,  ii.  262;  tea-houses,  262. 
Ujikawa  river,  ii.  262. 

University  of  Tokiyo,  ii.  340. 

Csu,  ii.  1.33;  temple,  1.34,  135;  bay, 
136. 

Usu-taki  volcano,  ii.  130. 

Utsu  pass,  i.  259. 


V 

Vegetation,  tropical,  i.  157. 
Village  life,  i.  102. 

Vine,  wild,  ii.  119. 

Vineyards  on  the  Tsugawa,  i.  198. 
Volcano  Bay,  ii.  32. 

Volcanoes,  i.  4. 


TUBSOWA. 


W 

Wakamatsu,  i.  180. 

Waterproof  cloak,  a paper,  1. 1 44 

Wax,  vegetable,  i.  194. 

Wistaria  chinensis,  i.  174, 175. 

Womankind,  Japanese,  i.  79. 

Women,  code  of  morals  for,  i.  332^ 
335. 

Wood-carving  at  Nikko,  i.  120. 

X 

Xaviek,  residence  of,  ii.  261. 

Y 

Yadate  pass,  i.  366;  the  force  ol 
water,  367. 

Yadoya,  or  hotel,  i.  90. 

Yamada,  ii.  276;  GekO  and  Naiku 
shrines,  278,  288. 

Y amagata  ken,  i.  255. 

Yamagata  plain,  i.  274,  278. 

Yamagata  town,  i.  275;  forgeries  ol 
European  eatables  and  drinka- 
bles, 276;  public  buildings,  276; 
a filature,  277. 

Yainagawa  river,  ii.  270. 

Yamataishinoi,  ii.  150. 

Yedo  city,  i.  26  {see  Tokiyo). 

Yedo,  gulf  of,  i.  12,  28. 

Yedo  plain,  i.  28. 

Yezo,  ii.  1;  climate,  harbours,  1; 
forests,  mineral  wealth,  2;  Colo- 
nisation Department,  3;  fisher- 
ies, 5;  Hakodate?,  5;  police,  7: 
hairy  Ainos,  8,  9;  weak  points  ol 
Japanese  Government,  161. 

Yoshitsune,  shrine  of,  ii.  72. 

Yokohama  harbour,  i.  14;  town, 
15;  sampans,  16;  travelling  res- 
taurant, 17;  kunimas  or  jui-ri-ki- 
shas,  18;  man-carts,  53;  railway 
and  station,  26;  tbe  Bluff,  47; 
Chinamen,  47. 

Yokokawa,  i.  167. 

Yokote,  i.  295;  Shinto  temple,  295; 
Torii,  295;  worshippers,  296. 

Yonetsurugawa  river,  i.  348;  peril- 
ous transit,  350,  353. 

Yonezawa  plain,  i.  260,  262. 

Yoshida,  i.  267. 

Yubets,  ii.  43;  a ghostly  dwelling, 
44. 

Yumoto  lake,  i.  126;  village,  127- 
bathing,  129. 

Yrt-no-taki  Falls,  the,  i.  129. 

Yurapu,  ii.  150;  river,  150. 

Yussowa,  i.  292;  lunch  in  public 
293. 


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carried  by  his  captors  to  the  Khaleefa  at  Omdurman.  There  he  was 
thrown  into  prison,  loaded  with  fetters,  led  out  for  execution,  and 
threatened  with  instant  death  unless  he  would  embrace  the  tenets  of 
Mahdism,  but  was  spared  for  reasons  of  the  Khaleefa’s  own,  and 
kept  a close  prisoner.  He  gives  the  most  vivid  account  of  his  life  in 
the  prison,  of  his  fellow-prisoners,  of  the  Khaleefa’s  government, 
and  of  his  own  attempts  to  escape. 

Quaint  Corners  of  Ancient  Empires 

Southern  India,  Burma,  and  Manila.  By  Michael 
Myers  Shoemaker,  author  of  “ Islands  of  the 
Southern  Seas,”  etc.  Fully  illustrated.  8°,  $2.25 

In  this  new  volume  the  author  takes  his  readers  on  a flying  trip 
through  Southern  India  and  Burma — those  relics  of  ancient  empires 
which  are  fast  changing  under  the  swift  progress  of  civilization. 
From  Burma  Mr.  Shoemaker  went  to  Manila,  and  was  able  to 
gather  much  interesting  material  concerning  this  section  of  the 
Philippines.  No  spot  upon  the  globe  is  of  more  interest  to  Ameri- 
cans at  the  present  day  than  Manila,  and  it  is  essential  that  the  real 
condition  of  things  should  be  clearly  understood. 


G.  P.  PUTN.AM’S  SONS,  New  York  and  London 


'■[’  ..'v  ..■■  A'jfjS?' 


